Bitter Sweet
by MistroStrings
Summary: Eden, a new girl in Forks, is trying to understand the mystery of the Cullens. When one of them seems to swoon for her, she has to ignore forbidden feelings, ignore a killer, and still live a normal life. Can she do it all? Probably not. JasperxOC OCxOC
1. Introduction

Introduction.

I'm never really good at starting off narratives. For example, when I was in 6th grade, we had to write a fantasy story about our lives, and present it to the class. Once I got up to the podium, I threw up all over my teacher. She didn't really like me after that, nor did any of my classmates.

Which leads me to the notion of being home schooled. I guess you can say it ruined my life in a social way. I didn't like going to parties, and eventually I hardly ever went out. My mother said I needed to get sunlight, but I just stated that the more pale you are, the healthier it is for your skin. So… I've definitely got that going for me.

Mom's job involves traveling a lot, which leads me to the beginning of my new story. This isn't the kind of story that will make you happy. This isn't an inspirational story. It won't make you want to be a writer, or influence you to try Indian food. It's just a story, that I think someone- like you, might find one day. I guess I'm deciding to write it because, it's cold, it's lonely, and I feel, incredibly lost.


	2. Ch 1 Rainfilled Town

"You sure you want to do this, sweetie?" Every morning, I hate to hear this agonizing, demanding tone ringing in my ear. Why, can't she just leave me be for once?

I angrily dropped my spoon into my empty cereal bowl. The clashing of the two medals echoed in the small kitchen. "Can you please just let me finish my cheerios in peace, mom?" I stood up, my chair flying backwards as Iheaded over to the sink. "Besides, I have no choice. I'm a junior now; I can't be caught being homeschooled."

"I-I know honey," my mom choked, rushing over to me, her skinny fingers running through my dark hair. I heard her give a small laugh as she dropped her hand away from my head. "Sometimes I have to remind myself that you're not 10, anymore."

I had to feel sorry for my mom. We lost my little sister of pneumonia when she was only two, and my father when I was 8. I never knew what happened my father, because I could never seem to ask my mother. She went through a really hard time in her life when that happened, and ever since, I'm terribly afraid of asking her. "Don't worry mom," I said, bleakly dumping out the rest of my cheerios down the drain. "I'll be okay," I turned to her, and grabbed her upper arms, hoping it would show a sign of comfort. "Everything will be fine."

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes gazing over my face. Mom did this a lot, she was searching for the truth in my face. I had grown so used to acting for these moments, that once again, she couldn't even tell I was lying. "Oh," she spoke, her voice excited, and her hand once more finding my hair. "You're right sweetie. Not to mention, all of those boys that will be interested in you!"

Now this kind of stuff, really throws me off. I never really had a lot of friends, so I never really had anyone else to tell me if I were attractive or not, except my mother. And you know how it is, mother's _have_ to say that kind of stuff. "Mom, please!" I hissed, snatching my backpack from the back of my chair. "You don't get it. I don't work with men. I don't work with anyone, and you of all people should have realized that by now."

"You are extraordinarily beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you anything different!" She shouted after me, as I trekked out the door. "Trust me; this will be your year Eden!"

Rolling my eyes, I didn't feel like answering her back. She said the same thing every year I started school. 'You're amazing', 'Express your beauty', 'and Find that boy!' And every year the same thing happened. No one talked to me, we moved around, I became paler and less attractive, and every male in the school- including all teachers, found me uncommonly quiet and difficult to reach. This is fine by me, which is why I don't get why it should bother them.

I climbed groggily into my 1960, tan Edsel and slammed the door shut. Shifting in the leather seat, millions of thoughts running through my head, I backed out of the driveway and down the road. I could hear the left-over rain sloshing beneath my tires, and I knew that only more wetness was to come.

My mom was a saleswoman, which of course, involves obsessive moving as well as unhappy daughters. Our recent stop, which would be my 16th- was the small, wet town of Forks, Washington. "I'm sorry we're moving there honey, but you know what my job is like," my mom explained the night of the news. "Don't think that I'm doing this to torture you, because I'm not. As if you're not pale already, and to think that place gets no sun!"

This could only come as a relief to me. I loved rainy weather, and the outdoors. Not to mention I hated when she would nag on me about being pale, but now I would actually have an excuse.

We got into town about a week ago, and after a few days of unpacking; I tried as best as I could to settle into my new home, before the new school year started. School. The word just rings inside my head and slips out of my mouth every time I think or say it.


	3. Ch2 Angels in Forks?

_Forks is going to be just like any other school_, I thought to myself as I saw the large building through my windshield. _Another day of tease and another day of quiet. _I kept trying to speak to myself inside my head. It was a little thing, that helped me calm down before I went anywhere.

As I pulled into an empty parking spot, the car next to me rung out with loud rap music. Groaning, I swung open my rusty door, and slammed it shut, watching paint chips fall from it, displaying a frown in pathetic disappointment.

There were a lot more kids hanging about outside than I had expected. Shyly, unpleased with my appearance, I climbed out of the car. _Remember, right foot- left foot. Don't you dare trip Eden, not on your first day. Not like 9th grad-_

It was huge, bulky, smooth, and loud, and I didn't even see the jeep coming. I heard the tires screech behind me as I whirled around. Gasping, I quickly jumped out of the way, rolling across the parking lot on my back. Groaning, I stayed where I was rooted. "Rosalie, get out of the car!"

_  
__Rosalie… That's a pretty name. _I didn't want to open my eyes, but I was smiling, and I knew it. Of course, such a typical normal day of my high school life. I knew something would happen, and it did- just like I had planned. I heard a quick patter of feet- a lot of feet, that is, come rushing over to my side. "Are you alright?" A worried voice called down to me. I was, and I knew I should have answered, but I didn't, because I wanted to imagine what this voice looked like inside my head. I imagined him, tall… skinny, rather frail- but with a masculine voice.

"I think we should try and get her up," I could tell this voice was a woman's. She sounded a little annoyed, probably with me and my problems with paying attention.

The smile on my face began to stretch into a straight, unhappy line, until I heard a very soft, promising voice. "No, I think she's waking." I was, but before I could open my eyes, ahuge handslid down my back. It was cold, and I tried not to shudder as they lifted me up.

Suddenly, my eyes flashed open. I squinted for a moment and looked around me as my sight began to become more clear. "What happened?" I slurred, blinking at a large boy next to me, his hand on my back.

"You almost hit our car," he jerked his thumb towards the Jeep. So, this was the scrawny man I imagined? No, not scrawny at all. Beautiful, in fact, and the more I began to look at him, the more surreal he was becoming. Even as the woman's voice began to speak, it was hard for me to tear his gaze.

"If she were looking, it wouldn't have been a problem!" She snapped, standing up and brushing off her white jeans. I wanted to apologize to her; I wanted to explain that I was clumsy and unaware of things around me, but she was so fairy-tale like,that I was lost in it. Who were these people? How can they live here, when they're worthy of being stars, and models?

"Rosalie, stop. She didn't see the car. Let her be." The soothing voice from earlier. I was afraid to turn around and face who it belonged to. I turned around anyways.

If you were to look up the definition of beautiful, you would find the definition of beautiful. Which, this boy was, not to mention the others. Their faces displayed no sign of aging; their lips perfect, their hair like silk, all of them with eyes of a Topaz ring. My attention shifted back towards the boy, and I stared at his frowning face. His untamed blonde hair and statue-like face distracted me. Yet, who was I to begin staring at a boy? It wasn't like me, and I teared my eyes away from him. "She's so startled she can't even talk," I heard the muscular onelaugh beside me.

I wasn't very startled, no, I was just unsure of what was going on. I felt like I should be back at my house, on the couch with a bowl of soup and sitcoms from the 80s. "I'm fine," I managed to choke out, rather quickly and unexpected. The boy looked at me with shock, and then a warm smile spread across his face.

"Well, good," he said, grabbing my upper arm and hauling me up without any time for me to protest. "Now, you're new here, aren't you?" Oh great, even he noticed.

"Yeah," I murmured, tucking my backpack closer to my body. "I just moved here about a week ago. I haven't really had time to settle in yet." _Oh god, stop talking, stop talking! Why does he care? What does he care about my life?_

I glanced at the woman, Rosalie, and she was frowning, amused with me. "You'll get used to Forks right away," He explained. "I'm Emmett Cullen," he extended his hand. "That's Rosalie," he jerked his thumb towards her. I watched as she took her slim arm and wrapped it around his, her blonde hair brushing against his shoulder. Did she seriously think I was going to steal him from her? Either way, it wouldn't work. Any man would be a fool to give someone up, so perfect as she was. I figured they weren't siblings though, or that would be disturbing, yet their eyes were all so similar. "And this here is Jasper. We've got two others, but I don't really know where they are…" His head looked behind each shoulder, as he glanced around the parking lot.


	4. Ch2 Angels in Forks? Part II

I glanced over at the soft, quiet boy. His lips were in a tight smile, as though he wanted to outburst something to the world, as though he had a secret. I inclined my head to them. "I'm Eden," I whispered, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

"Gorgeous name, Eden," Emmett's grin spread across his face. "Perfect for you, I think so!" Did he just hint that I was gorgeous? No. I must have misheard him.

A squeaky, unsure voice escaped from my lips. "_What?_"

Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but I always said something when I was nervous. I heard the pretty one, Jasper manage to escape a small laugh. That surprised me, because either he was laughing _at_ me, or he was laughing at my _shock_. It figured it was the first reason.

I heard a distant bell ring from inside the school. I hadn't even noticed that almost everyone in the parking lot was gone. The last few people murmured curses and swiftly rushed away. I frantically looked towards the calm beauties. "Oh god! I feel so bad, I just made you late, please, I don't mind saying it's my fault-"

"We're seniors," Rosalie rolled her eyes. "We don't even have first period, so calm down." Emmett frowned at her, stroking her hair. "You on the other hand, should probably get to the main office and get your new schedule."

I held up a stained, wrinkled piece of paper in my open hand. "Already got it." She slumped down and looked away from me, tugging at Emmett's arm. I didn't know what I was doing wrong, but I could tell I was annoying her.

"Uh, Jasper?" Emmett said to the boy, as Rosalie began to drag him off. "Would you like to show Miss Eden where her classes are?" Great, I was left alone then and there, with the most perfect boy I had ever seen in my life, looking like a complete fool. Nervously, I met his gaze. He was giving a little smile, awkward, but at least it was something.

A silence rang between us. He knew I was staring at him, and so did I. "It's alright," he said, his honey scented breath brushing against my pale face in the winter cold. _It's alright? What's alright? The fact that I was staring at him? The fact that I almost ran into his car? _"I've been to new schools too," _Oh thank god. _"I've been through a lot of them, actually."

"Yeah, so have I," my feet suddenly began to take me past him in a flurry, and steer my body towards the door. Like a flash, he was walking right next to me again. "Which is why I can probably make it around here on my own-"

He cut me off my stepping in front of my path, several feet away from me. Aggravated as I was, I couldn't help but find this charming. He pulled open the silver, steel handle of the school's entrance door. "Allow me," He said. I didn't want to cheer him on, so once more I whisked past him without a word. "Forks High School is a pretty big place, I've found out," his hushed tone rang out in my ears as my cheeks began to turn red, and I halted to a stop as he smoothly walked back up to me. "I really don't mind showing you around, a bit."

"Alright Jasper," I sighed. "Just don't make an effort to get to know me. I'm not the kind of person that is extremely social." My voice grew softer with every word. I hoped it didn't come out snotty, because that's not what I wanted. I just wanted him to know, that I could never be friends with a popular person.

I mean, he had to be popular. Just look at him.  
His symmetrical lips suddenly drooped into a frown. "I'm not asking you to be social, Eden," like a whip, he was smiling again. I watched him carefully as his eyes began to turn lighter and lighter. "I do think I should you around though. In a place like this, I don't think you want to be wandering off by yourself."

He was probably right. Even if the school was small or big, knowing me, I would probably get lost right after Jasper had showed me where my first class was. "I guess you're right," I said, sheepishly giving into his words. "If you could just show me where everything is…" Outstretching my thin hand, I held out my schedule for him.

He snatched it away from me and gazed his eyes over the paper. "You seem to have science with my foster brother, Edward. He wasn't there this morning when you ran into us. You'll probably know who he is; he's paler than everyone else…" His voice was in a monotone, his wordsperfectly accentuated,and I watched him speak, with raised brows. "Oh, you have lunch with all of us, too." He glanced up, his face friendly.

I wasn't going to sit with them, if that's what he thought. Rosalie would probably tell Emmett to squash me into a pulp after school, or something. He seemed like a pretty nice guy, but what did I know? He could be that kind of guy who does whatever a girl asks of him.

"You ready?" Jasper's voice interrupted my thoughts. I shrugged and began to drag my feet down the hallway, sleep deprived. What had happened this morning? I had just gotten to school, and already it seemed I had gotten the attention of three of the most beautiful people I have ever seen in my life. Aside Natalie Portman and Eva Green. Those were two very beautiful people. "I can see you don't get much sun," he began to speak to me as we trudged down the hallways. I felt stares coming from open classrooms, focusing on me and him.

"Yeah, I don't really go out much, me not being very social and all," I confessed. Why did I confess it? Why can't I give him short, one word answers like I do everyone else?

He sighed, as we sharply turned a corner. "I'm not extremely social either. I just get through the days here, I myself feeling more comfortable in my own home." I glanced around at the light blue lockers and the bare walls. A typical high school, a lot like all of the other ones I had been too. "Me and my family are all really close."

We stopped in front of a classroom. I peeked my head in the door, and watched as a graying old woman smacked the blackboard with a yard stick. I jumped back, stunned. "This is your first period. Miss Sitter; Spanish," he wore a smirk as he spoke. "Ouch. Good look with her. I hear she hands out quizzes like crazy."

Groaning, we continued to walk on. "You said Edward was your foster brother? Is he the only one?" It was a bad habit of mine, knowing people before I actually should have. Yet my soul was sensitive, and I felt like I needed to understand what was going on with others to help them if something were to ever go wrong.

"We're all foster kids, actually," he gave a half frown as he became suddenly interested in the hemlines of his jeans. I expected him to say more about his family, maybe about Rosalie and Emmett's relationship, but he instantly stopped talking. I decided it would be best to stop opening my mouth in front of him for a while.

He halted in front of another classroom, one that was a little smaller with a tall, gaunt male teacher speaking into a book, with a monotone. "That's your American History teacher- Mr. Trigs. He's a pretty cool guy," I watched his Topaz eyes, which were now a little darker than before, scan my paper again. He made a guttural noise as stuck his nail to his tooth, biting down on it. I watched, patiently. "Oh right, I know where the next room is!" His finger motioned towards a stair case down the hall, his face lost of all previous confusion. "You walk right up those stairs and it's on your first left. The next four periods are actually all in that hallway too, which shouldn't be hard to find."

I felt really dumb. He probably didn't want to show me the classrooms because I asked him about his personal life. I didn't think it'd be a problem. Maybe he was abused by his previous parents, or had a secret about his new ones. All I knew though was that I wasn't going to bother Jasper, or any of the Cullens- for that matter, again. I would get through school normally, until we had to move again.

"Thanks Jasper," my voice said regretfully into the empty hallways.

He gave an encouraging smile, and I figured he knew I felt stupid. That- or it looked like I was going to be sick. "I understand what it's like to start in a new school. If you need any help around here, don't hesitate to ask, though. Everyone's decently nice around here."

With that note, Jasper walked me back to my first period, and I settled down inside the room as he walked back down the hallway, and out of sight. I looked around at the eagerly busy classmates, which was when my brain realized that I would be staying here in Forks, probably longer than I expected. And at the same time- something, something deep inside me- said in such a tone that it was almost a whisper; 'This is going to be your year, Eden.' And for some reason, it sounded a lot like Jasper.


	5. Ch3 Lunch with a Friend

If there was one distinct feature about Jasper that stuck out more than the others, it was that he didn't like to be around people. I noticed it when we were touring the school- he stood nearly 3 feet away from me.

Sometimes after I'd get in class, I would hear a pitter patter of light feet down the hallway, and I would look out the door in curiosity. It was Jasper, alone, as everyone else was in class.

"He only gets close to his foster siblings," a girl named Marlena whispered to me at lunch. She sat next to me in American History, and as nice as she was, she invited me to sit with her and her hippie friends at lunch. "_Especially _Alice."

My eyes shifted over to the table, with the Cullens. I noticed three new additions to the group. One was a small girl, with dark, spiky hair and a pixie face. "Is that Alice?" I spoke, interested. "She's very pretty."

"And probably the weirdest," she said, shoving her perfectly straight teeth into her veggie burger. "Not that I don't like Alice, or anything. She's really nice and all, but she and Jasper are just a picture perfect couple," I looked over at them as she spoke. They were both beautiful and friendly. "They're both quiet and weird. It just creeps me out that they _live _together, but they're still like… _together, "together". _Thank god they have different last names, at least."

My upper lip twitched and I glanced over at her. "He doesn't go by Jasper Cullen?" Now I felt relieved I hadn't called him that.

"No, he goes by Hale. Jasper and Rosalie Hale."

I sighed, and teared my eyes away from the table. Slurping my juice box, I placed a fist under my hand. "Who's the boy? The one with the really pretty bronze hair?" I shifted my eyes back over to the table, feeling like I was forgetting someone. "And the girl next to him?"

"That's Edward Cullen and Bella Swan," she growled, her voice low. "Everyone in the school wanted Edward, but no one but Bella was good enough for him. They have this weird, off and on relationship. I don't really get it, but I don't really want too."

Bella was a very gorgeous girl. Yet, whenever I looked at Edward, I felt like I was looking at another angel. All of the Cullens did this to me, and I wanted to strangle them for it. Never had I wanted to look like someone else so much in my entire life. Why couldn't I just like myself for once? What made the Cullens any better than me?

One day I had been here, and I was already thinking about stupid things like that. It boggled my mind every second, and I knew it would bother me when I went to sleep. I needed to find a way to distract myself, at least for the moment.

"I'm going up to the snack bar," I mumbled, getting up from the table. Marlena gave me a look as though I were crazy. Perhaps it was because I already had a Twix bar, a bag of Sun Chips and an Arizona tea at my seat. I didn't bother to tell her that it was a distraction method though, and I made my way up to the small line.

"Planning on running into any more cars after school today, Eden?"

I spun my head around, nearly knocking the booming voice next to me over. "Emmett!" I gasped, tightly holding my tray in my hands. His smile spread up to his ears, and I couldn't help but beam up at him in return. What made him talk to me, anyways? I nervously looked behind me. No sign of Rosaline. That was good.

"Eden!" He repeated, loudly, patting me on the back. "So, buddy, isn't this the 3rd time you've been up here, at least?" He called me buddy? He noticed how many times I went up to the snack bar? He's talking to me? Why aren't I talking back?

"Oh, yeah. Well, you know I just have a lot on my mind," I snatched a ho-ho from the wrack of snacks, although it looked so unappetizing. "When that happens to me, I just… eat. A lot. Or in this case, I just buy a lot of food, so I know it's there if I need it."

He gave an echoing laugh, and I felt the warm, honey-scented breath of his brush against my arm. "Men like a woman with an appetite, Eden. Even if they don't eat the food they buy." He snapped his fingers at me, poking me in the shoulder. "Remember, Eden, _food_."

I smiled as he walked away. I was too concerned to notice that he actually talked to me, in public, normally, without me getting hit with a car, to notice that he didn't buy any food at all. As I handed the cashier my money, and headed back to my table, I noticed it. My brow suspiciously raised, a slowly sat back down at my table. "Marlena? Why don't the Cullens buy any food? Do they not eat?" Her eyes twinkled, and she ignored my question.

"I cannot believe you just talked to Emmett Cullen, oh my _God_!? You never said you were connected with the Cullens!" I wasn't connected with them, at all, but I could hear the jealousy in her voice. For the first time, someone was jealous of me. Or rather, someone was jealous of what I had. I guess it doesn't really work though, since I didn't actually have it.

"Yeah, I guess so," my voice was soft as I played with my sun chips. "You know, if you consider having them hit me with their car, connected…"

She blinked a few times, trying to read my face. I blankly stared down at my pile of food, already knowing she was confused. "They hit you with their car? Oh my god, that is so unlike them," she spoke through a mouth-full of salad. "They seem so graceful." A long silence held out, as my thoughts wandered from Emmett to Night Court being on TV tonight. "But, hey, you know what? He _talked _to you! Oh man, Rosalie is probably so mad, just look at her!"

I was afraid to look. I knew she'd be glaring at me. I felt Marlena's hand shove me. Nervously craning my head up, I received the death glare from the stunning woman, just as I expected. Emmett's eyes glanced at Rosalie, and following her stare, he sighed and gently slapped her on the shoulder. I knew he was trying to get her to stop staring at me.

His mouth moved quickly, his brows creased. Rosalie stared at him, fuming, as he spoke. I wanted to know what he was saying, what he was doing to get her furious attention. Then again, I was just glad it wasn't on me. "Oh look," Marlena giggled. "Emmett is giving her a scolding for staring at you. Maybe he likes you! That would certainly be news!" That was the last thing I wanted… me to be the center of attention. I wouldn't know what to do.

Edward reached towards Bella's hand, one that was actually _eating _something. She looked up at him, giving a small smile. They were a nice couple, and I had to say I was jealous of her as he softly pushed back a stray strand of hair from her face.

Alice's face was buried in a book, her dark eyes scanning over the page like a flash, but her skinny hand on Jasper's leg. He, was staring at nothing, it seemed, his mind somewhere else.

I sighed, and placed my palm underneath my chin. "If that were to happen, I wouldn't know _what _to do," I explained to Marlena, who tossed away her empty tray. "After all, I'm not one to be with the Cullens. They're too…" I wasn't going to lie. I was just going to say what I thought of them in the first day of knowing them. "Perfect."

"Okay, I know I just met you and all," Marlena said quickly, adjusting her scarf headband. "But you're like, totally pretty. I mean it too, and I lie a lot. Just to warn you." At least she was being honest. I had to be grateful for that.

I was pretty? I guess I had heard that before, but like I said, only from my mom. Yet, why had it seemed so true all of a sudden? Was it because I got the attention of Emmett Cullen? Was it because I had left my hair down today? Whatever it was, I wasn't in the mood to find out.

A moment before the bell ring, my wandering eyes, just so happened to have wandered back over to the Cullen table. Everyone was pretty much doing what they were before, with the exception of Emmett and Rosalie who were now dead silent, and Jasper.

We locked eyes for a moment. I knew it was only a moment, but it felt like so much longer. His face was tight, and frowning before he noticed me. It was as though he knew I was looking at him, and wanted to return the gesture.

His head turned to me, his blonde hair swishing around. His Topaz eyes twinkled, and grew bigger as they met mine. I watched the corner of his lip, curl up into a smile. I knew I was frowning. I wanted to smile, I wanted him to know that I was happy he was looking at me, but I would have been lying. He was so striking, so dreamlike, and so ideal. I felt like I was in a slow motion movie scene.

My gaze caught Alice, who was still deeply in her book, and my stomach churned. I couldn't be looking at someone else's partner. I couldn't be doing that. I could no longer look at Jasper, or Emmett, or even Edward, who I had just met, because they weren't mine. I didn't want to get hope, because I knew there was none.

And who was I to worry about hope? What did I know about love, or wanting to spend the rest of your life with anyone? I was just thankful that the Cullens noticed me, and talked to me, even if it was only once. That should have been enough, and as I continued to remind myself throughout the day, I realized that it was.


	6. Ch4 Mom's Questions

I'm sure you all know how it is to have a mother ask you questions that you really don't feel like answering. That's how my mom was, except on a very high level.

As I trudged out of my car, my feet sloppily dragging across the wet sidewalk up to my door, I was already dreading her questions of how my first day of school went. Peeking my head through the door, I was surprised to see that the coast was clear. The door creaked behind me as I shut it, looking around at my new home, that was still filled with unpacked boxes.

"Mom?" I shouted, a little worried. "Are you home?" My mind just told me she was at the grocery store, and I tossed my heavy backpack on the kitchen table, pulling out the snacks from lunch I hadn't eaten.

"Oh my god, why didn't you tell me you were home?!" I hear an anxious voice behind me shriek, as my teeth sunk into a Twix bar. Rolling my eyes, I turned on my heels. My mom stood, her arms outstretched, her hair messy, and her shirt covered in paint. "I was so worried about you, sweetie!"

I threw the wrapper of my candy bar away and hopped up onto the kitchen counter. My mom was too protective for my laid-back kind of mood. "Mom, school just got out five minutes ago," I explained slowly. "I called your name, but I guess you were too busy painting."

My mom was very artistic, and I guess I got that from her. The only thing about my mom, was that she showed it in public, and I only expressed the beauty of my art at home. My mom was really my best friend, and there wasn't a single thing I didn't love to do with her.

"I was just expecting a call from the school, or something," her warm hand grasped my shoulder.

"Why would you expect that, mom?"

I saw her smile, and stare down at the floor. She was going to make fun of me, I knew it. She always avoided eye contact when she was going to make fun of me. "Honey, you're not exactly easy on your toes. Especially since it's wet down here!" Her addicting laughter filled the room. I knew I was unsocial and un-noticeable but she reminded me of it all the time.

"Yeah, well do you consider getting hit by a car not being clumsy?" I whispered through her laughter. She must have heard me though, for she stopped instantly.

Her face became pale, her short hair- which I noticed looked a lot like Alice's, clung damply to the side of her face, and her face wore a sign of no emotion.

"You _what?_"

"Yeah," I said coldly, hopping off the counter. "But it was no big deal, or else I would have called you, or something." She was twitching, I knew she was getting more motherly worried with every second, but I took the advantage to make it seem like no big deal, because it wasn't a big deal. "These angels saved me though."

"_Angels?" _My mother screamed loudly, grabbing my arm. "You saw the light!? Oh baby, you have to go to see the doctor right now! You could have internal bleeding and not even know it, oh my goodness, why didn't you call me, Eden?" I could hear her tone jumping from worried to furious to sensitive to confusion.

I tried as best as I could to calm her down. It didn't work very well though. "Mom, I meant angels as in very beautiful people! And I think I would know if I was internally bleeding!"

"I never got a good grade in biology, Eden, you know that!" She tried to yank me towards the door. No way was I going to make myself look like a fool in front of a doctor for nothing. No. Way. "Doctor Cullen is extremely nice," she said quickly as I unwillingly let her pull me out the front door. Did she say Cullen? "I met him earlier this week, so I know he won't have a problem with him at least _checking _on you!"

She won, and began to pull me out towards my dinky car. I shut my eyes, and waited to be trhown in the leather back seats. It only took a second for her to do it, and get into the car herself. "So, tell me about your day, sweetie!" She shouted, backing out of the driveway quickly.

Clutching the edge of my seat in fear, I decided to answer her. "Well, like I said, I met the Cullens today, and I thought they were beautiful," I blurted out. She smiled at me through the mirror and wagged her finger in the air. "See? Forks isn't all that bad. The doctor wasn't bad looking himself, but he was very young."

I imagined him in my head. He had to be gorgeous, like all of the other Cullens. And of course he was young, which is why the Cullens are his foster kids. He was too old to be having teenagers himself. If he didn't like having babies, that was fine by me. "Oh, yeah, I would guess so. His wife would have to be pretty too, I guess," my voice was a monotone whisper as I boringly stared out the window.

"I would assume so," she sighed. "He could get any woman, I imagine. Me including."

"Mom!"

"Well, it's true, sweetie." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and looked blankly out the windshield. "How were your classes, everything OK?"

I knew I should have hinted that I didn't mind the school, but my past angst was too strong to ignore, not to mention that we were getting closer to the hospital. "It was fine. Everyone was really nice, and it'll be a nice stay until we move again."

I felt bad for my mom; I knew she hated moving as much as I did… Not to mention, she had to move around with me. She was a beautiful woman, but she always turned men away. She didn't like any of them. None of them were dad. "Okay, I'm glad it was alright, _besides _getting hit by a car! I mean, Eden, you have to be more-"

"Mom!" I shouted, trying to make her get side tracked about what she wanted to tell me. "You're still wearing your painting shirt!"

She looked down, frowning, her glasses drooping off of the bridge of her nose. "What's wrong with my painting shirt?" She gasped, clutching her palm to her chest. "I left the speakers on at home!"

The speakers were the last thing I was worried about. What I was worried about, was going into the hospital, because we had just parked our car. Groaning, I got out of the car before mom could complain about something else.

As she stepped out of the car, she looked down at her appearance. It wasn't that bad, besides the fact she had paint all over herself. "Oh man, I should have changed before I came."

"Yeah," I said, grimly crossing my arms over my chest. "You should have." I bit my tongue, as she looked up at me sadly. "No, it's fine mom. I was… I was just kidding."

"You think so?" She said, brushing off her jeans. "I don't want Doctor Cullen to think I'm a freak or anything…"

"He won't think you're a freak mom."

"Why not?"

"Because," I said, smiling and grabbing her hand. "He met you already. He probably already knows you are one." She gasped, and playfully slapped me on the arm as we entered the small hospital


	7. Ch5 Carlisle Cullen

"I don't really see what's wrong," the nurse said blankly, tapping my knee once more. My leg jumped from under me, almost bashing her square in the face. I gasped, my hands embarrassingly covering my mouth. "It's alright, happens all the time," she smiled, standing up. "Doctor Cullen will be in with you soon, though. My name is Summit- if you need anything."

Me and my mom both nodded towards her as she left the room swiftly, her jacket flipping behind her. I looked around the room. "It's cold," I said meekly. My mom smiled and sat down next to me on the bed. "I can't believe you brought me here."

She laughed, her hand patting the top of my head. "I can't believe I actually got you to come. Normally you do whatever it is in your power to get away from these situations."

"I guess something was on my mind," I confessed.

She gasped, her eyes growing wide under her boxy glasses. "Is it someone in your school? Is it your teachers?" A wide, knowing grin spread to her ears. _Like Emmett's grin! _I bit my tongue, angered that I had thought about him. "Is it a boy?"

"Yeah," I said, shrugging. "Three."

Her smile drooped to a frown. "Honey, you hardly ever like one boy, so I find it hard that you're confessing to three." Mothers knew everything some times.

"I don't like them," I groaned, shifting in my seat. The sanitary paper beneath me crinkled. "They're just really nice, I guess," I nervously fiddled with my hands in my lap, hoping she would drop the subject so I wouldn't have to explain.

"Oh?" She beamed. "Are any of them interested in you?"

I wanted to laugh at this. I wanted to laugh and explain how beautiful their girlfriends were, but I was stopped short- by another seraph.

Okay, so I feel really dumb about calling him that, when he's a man. Yet, ever since I've been in Forks, I felt like I was dreaming. When would I wake up?

His light hair was slicked back into waves. His eyes were stunningly bright gold, and his nose and mouth slim with youngness. I couldn't blame mom for liking him, because I found myself liking him too.

_  
__Cullen._ I thought, stupidly. I had forgotten he was a Cullen. _Of course he's a Cullen. _I couldn't place my finger on it. These people weren't even related, yet how could they all be so stunning? Something else shot through my mind… What if, instead of angels- they were demons? Demons of temptation?

"Eden Davis," he sighed, his cold breath drifting past my face. I winced, and kept my eyes glued to the linoleum floors. He smiled at me, trying to make eye contact. "So, you got hit by a…" He glanced down at his clip board, raising a brow. "You got hit by a car?"

I felt stupid and embarrassed, but when I looked up, I noticed he was smiling. I smirked and nodded. "I'm not exactly good on my feet." He wagged his finger knowingly at me.

"I knew a girl who got hit by a car once. I had to treat her too, she's my son's girl friend." Who was it? It couldn't have been Rosalie or Alice- it must have been Bella. Maybe I was being stereotypical, but I just couldn't imagine either of them falling. "I guess it just reminded me of her. No worries though, it says here you feel alright?"

"I feel fine," I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "My mom just had to bring me over here when I told her. She gets worried like that a lot. You'll probably be seeing a lot more of me."

"Oh?" He snickered, pulling out his stethoscope and placing it's cold surface on my chest. I squirmed in my seat. I could feel cold air coming off of his hand. He was terribly cold, and he wasn't even touching me. "I guess kids should be more careful these days, then and watch where they're driving." He moved the stethoscope to my back, his thin brows creasing. "Children should get their licenses at 18."

I was thankful he was making conversation. "I agree, there are too many deaths with teen drivers. It's wrong, to be having so many lives taken at such a young age."

He gave a wide smile, looking impressed. I blinked up at him, surprised. What had I said. "You give a good argument Miss Davis! Ever think about joining the debate team?" I watched him pull out a small hammer, pondering his request in my head.

"No, not really. I try not to join clubs very much, considering that I don't stay in one place for a very long time." He tapped my knee with the small hammer. I twitched and he smirked up at me.

"It's alright if you kick me. It happens." He tapped it once more, my foot flying without my consent. I gasped, watching it fly into his chest.

"I'm so sorry!" My shaky hands covered my mouth, as I gasped. I watched him grasp his chest, laughing, feeling more stupid than I had since I moved here.

He stood, standing up and flattening out his jacket. "It's perfectly alright Eden, as I said before." Of course, he had said that. Did that make me feel any less stupid? No. "You're right though, that's one thing you can tell your mother."

"I'm right?" I blinked, looking at him deeply. He was so young, in his early twenties, that it made me wonder why he was in Forks. Why were any of the Cullens in Forks- I had wondered often? "What am I right about?"

"You're perfectly fine," He explained tucking his pen in his pocket. "Your mother will be relieved, and you're all free to go!" I couldn't help but detect the happiness in his voice.

"Alright," I snickered, hopping off of the seat. Since he was young, I felt like I could sort of talk to him like a peer. "Don't get too excited about it!" I laughed, feeling comfortable around him.

He patted my back, winking. "I'm just glad you're alright. I get like that when I see a healthy human." Maybe it was pointless, but I found it odd when he said human. Why not just 'patient'?

"So there it is," I said, pulling the door open. My mom, who was waiting down the hallway jumped up when she saw us. I jumped to the point before she could. "See, mom? I told you- no need to worry."

She smiled and waved her hand across my head, pretending to smack it. "You know I worry sweetie, it's what mothers do. You'll understand one day. Won't she doctor Cullen?"

"I know my wife is very protective of my children," He grinned, setting his clipboard on the nearest table. "However, I understand it was my children who hit you with their car?" His statue-like face turned hard as his eyes skimmed over mine.

They hadn't hurt me, and they were very kind about it. I didn't know Carlisle Cullen, and I expected him to be very sweet- but what _did _I know? "Oh please," I breathed heavily, flapping my hand. "Don't punish them. It wasn't their fault; I was just lost in my thoughts."

"See? Not our fault, like she _said_."

The voice made me jump in my shoes, and spin around in alarm, although I knew who it was. Rosalie stood behind me, her hip popped out and her arms across her chest. I heard Dr. Cullen growl and harshly behind me.

"What?" She snapped, brushing past me. "You can't get upset with Emmett because he was driving. She ran into _us_." As she crossed over the room to Carlisle, her golden eyes flashed red. "I'm tired of helping girls who get crushed by cars."


	8. Ch5 Carlisle Cullen Part II

I wondered who else she was making a reference to. The only other mortal I could think of her knowing was Bella. I didn't really know anything about her, so maybe I shouldn't suspect her to be as clumsy as I.

"Rosalie," Carlisle sighed, shutting his eyes. "Can you wait in my office, please?"

My mom was quick to interfere. "Thank you very much, Doctor Cullen," She took her warm hand in mine. It was a nice relief compared to Doctor Cullen's thick, frozen one. "I just get worried as a mother." She inclined her head towards the frowning Rosalie. "It was lovely to meet you too, Rosalie."

Before I could even thank them myself, she had twisted me around and drug me off towards the main doors. "Thank you!" I shouted over my shoulder. He gave a small smile and nod. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him whisper something in Rosalie's ear and pull her off to his office.

"Oh!" I heard my mother shout, as she tightened her grip on my arm and placed me to a stop. I looked up to see what she was so startled at.

Jasper jumped back away from her, his eyes wide. He had been walking with his head down, not paying attention, when he almost ran into me and my mom. "Jasper," I spit out, surprised. He continued to back up, his face tight. He looked sad, his eyes were darker and he looked pale white.

"Eden," His voice shook along with his body. "Eden, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Every word he said ran into the other, and it took me a while to add up what he said.

"It's alright Jasper," I explained, dropping my mom's hand- who was walking away to our car. "After all, I ran into your car, so I guess we're even." I gave a light chuckle, although I knew I should have stopped talking.

"Right." His focus was aimed on the doors behind me. He shifted from foot to foot. I blinked, waiting for him to say more, but he never did. He seemed different, as if he were afraid.

I decided to leave him alone, guessing he had something important to tell Carlisle. "Well, okay. Have a good day, Jasper," I bit my tongue and rushed past him as fast as I could.

He quickly passed me as well, and I could tell he was holding his breath. He didn't give a goodbye consent, or a gesture, or anything. He looked like he was going to be sick. I didn't want my crazy notions to bother me, so I didn't think any more about it as I walked out to my car.

Climbing in the front seat, my mom watched me with worried eyes as I slammed the door harshly. "Are you alright? You seem a little stirred up." She began to back up out of the driveway. "Did Rosalie upset you? Is that Jasper boy someone you like?"

"Mom!" I snapped, shutting my eyes tightly. "I'm fine, alright? Just stop asking so many questions, please."

She nodded and gave a smirk. I hated it when parents tried to make a joke out of your anger. That's all my mom ever really did, was joke around with me. And it was worse when she did it when I was unhappy. "Or is it just your time, sweetie?"

I felt a roar come up in my throat as I spun my focus out the window. "If you're going to be annoying about it, don't ask."

Silence filled the car. One thing about my mom that I loved, was that she knew when to stop bugging me. Eventually, I would tell her what happen, though. "Rosalie really seems to hate me," I confessed. "I don't really care, though. It's not like I'm going to be friends with the Cullens, anyways."

"Why not?" Her voice sounded more like a whine than a question. "Rosalie may seem a bit rusty around the edges, but everyone else seems very nice. That Jasper boy was cute."

"Cute?" I spit out, laughing. "Mom, he's…" I rolled my eyes. I was not going to act girly around my mom. That was the last thing I would do. "They're nice. I just don't want to make friends with them. I have friends already."

She gasped, as we rolled into our garage. "You made friends? Oh who are they? What are they like?" I hoped out of the car, shaking my head. She looked at me frowning. "Honey, I just want to know how you're getting along around here!"

Storming up to my room, the only response I decided to give her was a dull 'whatever'. Walking into my room, I looked around at all of the unpacked boxes. My eyes tightened, skimming over them. There were 14, large and small- and as much as I knew I should open them, I just felt like sleeping.

I felt like laying in my bed forever. I wanted to feel my warm covers around me, as though they were a shield from the cold weather of Forks, and the cold hands of Carlisle Cullen. I wanted to elope myself with darkness, so I could never see light again.

I wanted to wait in the darkness until I was gone, so I could be with my father. I wanted to watch my sister grow up, and I wanted to stay in a single place for the rest of my life. I wanted to have friends to talk to, to be there for me when I did, and didn't need them.

Why, why, _why_ was I thinking about all of this now? I waited for the tears to come as I locked my eyes with the cardboard boxes on my floor, but they never came. The rain outside rang in my ears, seeming to be in perfect rhythm with my thoughts.

There were times where small things reminded me of my father or my sister. Then it reminded me of moving, and making friends. Things connected with each other. I heard my mom ask me about making friends. Time went backwards from then. My best friend was my father, and I hoped it would be my sister.

I took my tired feet over to my bed, and flopped down on my soft comforter. I wrapped my blanket around my head, and stared out of my window. I laid there for hours, I must have- because after I snapped out of my thoughts and back into reality, the moon was up, and there was a cold plate of dinner under my door.

I felt dumb, just sitting there. I wasn't depressed though, I was just thinking. I used to do this a lot. I could remember my mother speaking to me; 'Artists need times like this to think to themselves. It's perfectly normal. You're not depressed.'

My mom just understood me. It was helpful, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I quietly changed out of my day clothes and into my pajamas, trying not to wake my sleeping mother. The clock read 10:36 and I snuck back into my bed, without brushing my teeth.

As I shut my eyes, I imagined I was in Forks, but I was all alone. I was walking down the streets, the rain falling on my body, warm, surrounding me… As I began to fall asleep, dreams took over my thoughts.

No one was there, but me. Or so I'd thought. When I'd opened my eyes, Emmett was standing at the end of the road. His bulky body was hunched over; he was smiling at me, and waving. I grinned; I could feel the grin spreading across my face.

I was locking eyes with him, but suddenly his smile turned into a frown. They corners of his mouth continued to curl downward, and his eyes became a fierce shade of black. Where had I seen that before?

_  
Jasper. _His eyes were dark when I had seen him at the hospital. He looked like he was trying so hard not to scream, his fists were clenched. As I continued to watch Emmett in my dream, he was beginning to change.

His bulky body was narrowing down, he was growing shorter and skinnier. His hair became longer, and blonde, hanging loosely in front of his face. His lips spread open, his teeth sharp. I looked closer. Not only was he no longer Emmett, but he was Jasper.

I stood, glued to the wet road. Jasper crouched down, and I watched his every move. I could feel myself shaking, but I didn't open my eyes. I wanted to know what would happen. What kind of dream was this?

Before I knew it- Jasper was jumping towards me, and I burst open my eyes in fear. Gasping, I looked around my dark room. I hugged my knees to myself, and buried my face in my hands.

Why would I be dreaming about such things? Jasper Hale was sweet and kids, not this demon that I had so vividly seen in my dream. Maybe my mother had been showing me too many horror movies lately.


	9. Ch6 Bram Stroker

"'_Was this a customary incident in the life of a solicitor's clerk sent out to explain the purchase of a London estate to a foreigner?'_" My young teacher recited from memory, the quote that could only belong to Bram Stroker's 'Dracula'. I stared I in awe as she continued to recite the chapter from memory, whishing I could do so as well.

Two weeks had gone by in Forks, and surprisingly, I and my mother were getting used to it just fine. Days at school were pretty long and boring; besides the fact that Marlena and her friends were beginning to welcome me to their group.

Occasionally, in the afternoons of the week, me and my mom would go to a small diner down the road and talk endlessly for hours, about things that didn't really make sense, or poetry.

Evenings and weekends were long, me often sitting at home and painting with my mother and cooking up exotic Indian food that neither of us would end up eating. When she was out on business, I would curl up on the couch with a heart-pounding book, or agonizing drama. Of course I had to watch dramas alone, considering the fact that my mother would only laugh at me, her sensitivity lost with my father.

The Cullens kept their distance, and I admired them from afar. They would all disappear sometimes, for a day or two- and I couldn't understand why. Marlena had explained Doctor Cullen liked to pull them out of school so they could enjoy the outdoors on gorgeous days. Not fair, in my book, but of course I was just jealous.

Emmett had given me a high-five or two in the hallways, but other than that, he was pretty quiet, and never really took anymore notice of me. It stung me, to watch their perfect selves, knowing I was just a pitiful thing that they were waiting to get rid of. A week or two had satisfied them, and I was just a dust on their pants.

Sitting in my classroom now, at the beginning of the week- watching Miss Rodman narrate the horrifying love story aloud to us, made me completely lose sight with anything going on around me.

"Hey," I heard a tiny voice whisper beside me, a chair scraping back. I didn't turn to look at who's it belonged to, I was still entrances in Miss Rodman's words. "Can I sit here?"

Finally craning my head around, I looked to see Alice Cullen. Her sudden appearance surprised me, and I gaped in shock. "Yeah," I choked out, quietly. "No one sits there."

"Great!" She sighed, dropping her bag to the ground and grinning over at me. "You're Eden right? I heard you met Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper." She giggled, already knowing how I knew them. "I guess we've all got to watch where we're going, don't we?"

Her positive attitude kept me staring blankly at her pixie face. Her hair flipped out and I looked at it, questioningly. "Yeah, I guess we do," I managed to spit out a fake laugh. Thankfully she hadn't noticed and focused her eyes on Miss Rodman as well.

I decided to do the same. I was confused, at her forwardness, and I didn't really want to talk to her right now, partially because I could hear Miss Rodman gaining on my favorite part in the book. "It's so beautiful," Alice whispered. "I mean the story of Dracula."

Beautiful? How could she think such a sickly man was beautiful? "I think it's complex," I stated. "Beautiful, maybe, but overall I think he's lonely. I think all vampires are lonely in myths. Yet, it's hard not to wish you were one."

"Oh I know," She gasped, playfully twiddling her pen in her finger. "Vampires, and blood. It all sounds so alluring."

Now I understood how Marlena found her weird. Yet, I didn't. I thought she was very charming, very open and blithe. I found myself jealous of her, yet again. I wanted to ask why the Cullens were gone so much last week. I wanted to ask why Rosalie hated me so much, and why Jasper had fierce mood swings. I held my tongue until the end of the class, though. _Maybe she'll be back tomorrow. Maybe I'll ask her then. _The bell rang loudly in my thoughts.

"Sit by me again, tomorrow?" She perked, picking her bag up. I looked around behind me, assuming she wasn't speaking directly towards me. When no one answered, I looked at her uncomprehendingly.

"You're talking to me?"

"Of course I'm talking to you! Who else would I be talking to?"

"I suppose that makes more sense."

She gave a small laugh. "You and I will be magnificent friends, Eden, I can tell." With that note, she left me in a flurry, waving her small hand and skipping out the door. I longed for her optimism. Would we be great friends? I didn't even know Alice. I knew her family, but I was nothing to them. Or was I? What had even encouraged her to sit by me?

I hadn't noticed it earlier, but there were many empty seats in the classroom, besides the one next to me- in the very back. She must have come back to talk to me specifically. I found myself happy for once, getting noticed by a Cullen. I felt foolish, like a fan girl, but what could I do? If Alice Cullen had known who I was, it meant that the Cullens had talked about me.

Whether it was good, or if it were bad- the Cullens had talked about me.


	10. Ch7 A Cullen's Thoughts

Chapter 7:

A Cullen's Secret

"Lovely," I heard Carlisle speak from across the room. "I thought she was lovely and very polite." His pale fingers, the ones that made mine pale too, flipped through the pages of an old magazine. "Why do I still have this? It's so old," he annoyingly tossed it across the room and into the trashcan.

Biting on my nail, I leaned further back in my chair. She was lovely. For a mortal, I found myself thinking about her more than I should. It was wrong, but I wanted to know her. I had a wife already, yet something attracted me to her. She was different, they way she walked, the way she smiled. I had found so much beauty in my wife, clinging to her, _loving _her- that I was so blinded by the world around me.

I had needed a new light, something for me to live dangerously for. Something that could be a friend to me, and another sibling- someone I could protect. I knew it was wrong, to even think that. Yet, it was a good way of living, was it not? We're immortals- we should be protectors too. I found the person I wanted to protect. Her name was Eden.

"She's nice," Alice said, walking along a tree branch outside of the window. No one was worried, of course she could keep her balance. It was in our nature, we were just balanced like that. "I like her. She's in my ancient literature class, and we talked about Dracula today."

"Dracula?" I spat out, surprised. "So, in other words you talked about our kind."

She smiled and hopped off the branch. I turned my face away, and stared blankly out the window in front of me, imagining her horrid thoughts about our kind. "She said she felt sorry for them," all eyes in the room turned to her. I felt the bare spot in my chest, where my heart once beat, cramp up. "She said she thought they were lonely," Everyone looked at one another. Although we were all there, together- we knew what she meant. We understood what Eden had been talking about. "Yet, she explained that it would be hard not to wish to be one."

"Oh great," I heard Rosalie snort. I looked up at her with questioning eyes. "Just what we need, another Bella." No one misheard the low growl escape from Edward's throat across the room.

"Enough," Esme's delicate voice filled the anger in the room. I smiled, knowing she could fix any problem there was. "I don't think it matters. If you want her to be your friend, then fine! Talk to her. Yet, if you continue to ignore her- then it's not worth it."

Rosalie's snicker was choked out without her consent. "Not worth letting her risk telling the whole world who we really are," She explained, eyeing each one of us carefully. "Maybe it didn't happen with Bella, but you never know with anyone else. One mortal knowing is enough!"

"One person knowing is _too _much," Carlisle corrected her, and then turned his sympathetic head towards Edward. "Bella is one of us now, and we all love having her with us." I watched his eyes flicker to all of us, and glue on mine. "Another mortal, perhaps not."

My lip twitch and I clamped my cold hands together. I didn't mind anymore. I survived off of the cold and it off of me. We were undying brothers, brothers who were attached forever more. "I guess we could all just stay away from her- then, I guess. Even though she's really nice and all…"

"I disagree!" I heard Alice squeak, standing in the middle of the room. "I already told her she'd be my friend! I saw it; she was just as okay with it as Bella is! I'm not going to be rude again, just because you're all telling me to-"

"Alice, please," Carlisle breathed calmly. "We know you saw her, with us- but that doesn't mean anything Alice," His voice was pleading, yearning. "I just don't want to hurt anyone again. I don't want to pull anyone else into this mess we call our lives."

No one spoke. The pitter patter of rain sang all around us, hitting the windows are behind us all. I felt secluded, like I couldn't move. I didn't want to move. I just wanted to think. I often wanted to think. What was I doing here? Why were any of us here? Who else, would soon be here after us?

I heard someone sigh to my left. A low voice caught my ear, and I shot my head up. "I will talk to her," Edward explained slowly. We all looked towards him, confused. "If Alice saw her with us, what harm is there to be done?" He was so poised, I couldn't help but be jealous. "We're all…," He motioned to the couples across the room. "She won't be romantically involved with any of us. She'll be a friend. We can protect her."

"That's why I think we're here," I said softly. "I think we were meant to protect." It felt true when I said it, but deep inside me- I knew we were meant to kill. We were meant to demise people's lives. Innocent them. Ruthless us.

Scoffing, I watched Rosalie leave the room. Esme warningly rushed after her, yet I could tell she was worried. Alice frowned and glanced over at Carlisle, who was lost in thought. Edward leaned against a wall, his eyes shut. I looked at my other brother. He was frowning, his arms crossed. "Alright," Alice spoke after a moment of silence. "I'm talking to her."

Everyone sighed in unison. Little things like this wouldn't normally matter in the real world. If someone didn't want to be around someone else for certain reasons, they stayed away. Yet, our lives were different. Everything took thinking. What was best for us? What was best for everyone who was _not _us?

I sat at my window sill, watching the rain fall down to the ground below, and trickle down the trees. I heard my small clock beep, signaling midnight. The others were out, hunting. I didn't want to go. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't hungry. I wanted time to think to myself. Listening to the rain compelled me, it silenced and calmed me.

I stuck my white hand out of the window. It blended in with the moonlight, and I frowned as I realized this. Where was my color? Where was the life in me I once had, so long ago? The rain ran down and in between my fingers. The water was cool, but it matched my skin warmth. I couldn't feel it. All feelings that I once loved seemed lost to me now.

The rain. I used to love the rain. I risked getting sick on rainy days, by running in it. I loved to feel it mess up my hair, and attach itself to its skin, as though it needed me. Watching it now, seeing it just fall- upset me greatly inside.

I was in love with my wife, madly, and I had a loving family, something vampires hardly ever had. I should have been grateful, but I couldn't be grateful living in this skin of a monster.

Eden. The name struck me suddenly. The garden of good and of evil. I knew it was just a name, a certain sound people used to call her by. Something about it allured me, though. Good and evil? I saw the good in her, but where was the evil?

Everything was hard.


	11. Ch8 Anger

Chapter 8:

Anger.

The whole day, I was waiting. I was waiting for my ancient literature class, so I could see what Alice wanted.

I was at my locker, wondering these thoughts, when I heard the bell ring. Groaning, knowing I was late, I quickly shut my locker.

"Edward?" I said, my tired eyes suddenly growing full of life again. He stared at me, behind my locker door, his face expressionless.

"Eden," he eventually nodded, giving a handsome smirk. I tried to look away. "Don't worry about being late to class. The teachers like me around here. I'll be able to cut your some slack." I knew he was right. How could teachers not adore him? The women ones, at least. Or any woman for that matter. "I need to talk to you, though."

Oh great, just what I needed, a 'talk' with another Cullen. I thought they didn't like me. Then they acted like they did, and the next minute they didn't. "Why?" I snapped, beginning to walk down the hallway. In a flash, he was walking right with me, our feet in sync. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't get the whole Cullen mood swing thing going on."

"Cullen mood swing?" He laughed a sweet laugh, that made my stomach churn. "I don't understand what you're saying."

I paused, turning around to face him. I tried my best to show my face of confusion and anger. "One day, someone in your family is nice to me. The next day, they're not. I don't get it. What do you want from me? What am I to you? I'm just some new girl," my voice grew in a whisper as I brought my brows together. "Don't waste your time talking to me."

"Ah, but I want to," He lightly placed a cold- no a freezing palm on my shoulder. "You don't understand. We've had some family issues lately, but we're past that. We all like you Eden-"

"Well thanks," I mumbled, hugging my books closer to my chest.

"And we want to continue to talk to you." I paused, waiting for him to say more. His statue like face smiled down at me, his golden eyes mocking. "We're decently friendly people. When we see someone we like, that is." How flattering.

I paused, glancing around the empty hallway. I didn't want anyone to catch me with a Cullen. "Maybe you are, Edward. Or at least, 3 out of the five." His thin brows drooped, matching the corner of his mouth. "I mean, you Alice and Emmett seem to be wonderful. Jasper and Rosalie on the other hand…" I shut my eyes, shaking my head. I didn't get what it was about them, why they didn't seem to like me very much.

At first, I thought Jasper had, but after the day at the hospital, my mind instantly changed.

Edward buried his fists deep into his pockets, his eyes now meeting the linoleum floor. The air was silent, as I waited for him to answer. I could feel, the coldness running off of him. Wrapping my arms even tighter around me, I shivered. "I probably shouldn't be saying this," Edward grinned, looking back up at me. "Yet, I don't want you to be so bitter towards us Cullens. Rosalie is a little fierce, I admit it- even I have difficulties reaching her, but," He paused, inspecting my unhappy face with a smile. "Jasper on the other hand is very fond of you."

"That's a great joke!" I laughed, wagging my finger at him. "You should have seen him the other day at the hospital. His eyes were huge and dark, and he shook when he saw me." My weak stomach churned, thinking of his face. "He didn't want to see me."

"Like I said," Edward enunciated harshly through his suddenly clenched teeth. "There were issues in the family." Sighing, I looked away from him. I probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with. His tone suddenly switched. "I guess we feel bad about hitting you with a car."

"Don't. I mean it." They had nothing to be sorry for, it was me who ran into them! Of course it was, who was I kidding? "I just, I don't want to try to make any friends here. I won't be staying here long. I never do."

"Why not?"

"My mom's job involves us moving a lot."

"Isn't the point of moving to get from one place to another?"

"Yes," I answered matter-of-factly.

He grinned, shrugging. "So, I think to get somewhere in life you have to at least be social. I mean, hey even if it is for a few more weeks, at least you can say you had some friends at Forks, right?"

What did he think I was? A loner? "I already have friends!" I shouted, nearly slamming my books down in fury. "I don't need some uncanny seraph to tell me otherwise!" Sure, I had called him an angel to his face, but luckily he didn't seem to notice. Storming down the hallway to my class, I was aggravated to find him once again by my side.

"Please, don't take it like that. It's not what I meant," He sighed, blocking my way. I growled and tried to shove past him. His strong body of course, would not let me. "It's not what any of us mean. Talk to us, do something. It'll make Emmett happy. He really seems like you."

"Why are you trying to hard?" I questioned, stomping my foot. He looked down at it in amusement. "Isn't it enough for you to just scare me? Yet, it's not enough for you to want to get to know me!?"

"Scare you?" He gasped, his soft lips shaping into an "O" of surprise. "How are we… scaring you? We do not intend it, not at all."

That's the last thing I wanted- Edward Cullen to know that I was frightened of him… of his whole family. The worst part was, I had no reason why I should have been scared by them. They were all so cold, and so beautiful. I was probably just being superstitious towards them, but what made them like this? My head hurt, and I wanted to get to class and not think about it. "It's not that. I'm sorry Edward," my voice began to speed up, quickly and stupidly. "I really need to get to class."

I brushed past him finally and rushed down to my class. Without him, I knew I risked being able to get a detention for being late, but in that moment I didn't care. I wanted to get away from him, the one Cullen who I thought would leave me alone besides Rosalie. And now he wanted to be friends as well? There was something about the Cullens that I didn't like. Something about them made me nervous.

All the same, something about them made my heart jealous and my face steam up with rage. I wanted to be with them. I wanted to sit at their table at lunch, and walk into their group. _Why? _I kept telling myself._ Why did I want this so badly?_

"You are late!" I heard Miss Rodman shout, as my bright red face hung down in shame. I had never been late before. I prayed, to whatever there was out there to pray for- that I would not get a detention. That would be like carnage for my mom. "Eden," her voice whined as she sat her book down on her desk with steady, young hands. "I expect more out of you."

"I know," I sighed, helpless and embarrassed. "A friend stopped me in the hallway," I glanced over at Alice, who was smirking. She must have known Edward was planning to talk to me. "It was really important, I promise it won't happen again."

She rubbed her large eyes with annoyed hands and pointed to my empty seat in the back of the room. "It better not happen again. Your friend can wait until after school, if my class is as important to you as I think it is."

Groaning I pulled back my chair and gloomily sat down. "Hey," Alice whispered, waving towards me. I blinked a few times, not trying to hide my resentment. I was aggravated with the whole family now, Alice including. "Edward talk to you today?"

"How did you know?" My voice hinted at sarcasm.

She grinned, shrugging. "I talked to him about it yesterday. I told him that you and I had talked, and that, I could tell you were a bit standoffish by us."

My stomach churned, as my cheeks suddenly grew red. "You could tell that?" Both of them could tell that, then. Which in turn, meant that all of them could.

"I can tell a lot of things," she smirked, winking. "You got upset with him, didn't you?" Before I could answer, she was on top of my exact thoughts again. "I know we've seemed sort of odd to you lately, but we all really like you." _Yeah, right._ "Rosalie too, even though she doesn't exactly show it."

I could detect the lies in that sentence, but I ignoring it. She was being sweet, and that was good enough for now, after my encounter with Edward. "Thanks, Alice," I stated, more dryly than I would have wanted. "That's very nice of you."

"About Jasper," Her words were very slow, and drawn out. I waited, quietly. "He has some mood swings, sometimes. He gets nervous around people. It's not that he doesn't like you, it's not that at all, it's just that-"

She continued to shift in her seat, her eyes looking dark and empty. "It's okay," I quickly assured her, not wanting her to feel any more uncomfortable than what I could tell she already was. "You don't have to worry about it, I understand. Edward already mentioned it."

"He's just quiet," She sighed, continuing. "He's not used to being around people." Her gloomy face suddenly transformed into a beautiful smile. "I have a great idea! Edward might have mentioned it towards you already, but…"

My voice shook as I spoke. "What?"

"You should come and sit with us at lunch!"

I bit down on my lip, trying not to shout; 'No!' How could I sit with her at lunch? Marlena would be upset with me, along with my few other friends I had made at that table, and I wouldn't risk getting Rosalie angry. Or Jasper, on that note. "I c-can't," I stuttered. "I have a table where I sit. They wouldn't understand if I just up and left them."

"Oh!" She said, her small lips curling downward. "Are they mean?"

"No," I laughed, awkwardly. "They're artistic."

She wagged her finger at me, understanding now. "Artistic people. Emotional. I know how it is. Well, just come and sit with us for a day or two."

Her tone was pleading, but calm. It would certainly please my mom, but I had made friends already. I didn't more, especially when I couldn't figure them out. I still didn't know what they wanted from me. A sudden thought dawned on me, as thoughts were whipping through my mind. "Why don't you ever eat? I would feel so incredibly awkward, just sitting there and watching you guys not eat."

She blinked a few times, glancing over my face. "You're serious?" She giggled, after a moment of silence between us. "Oh please, that's just some silly diet Carlisle's put us on. We eat a lot in the morning and then not in the afternoon. It's not bad though, it works!"

I stared at her slim stomach, and thought of all of the other Cullen's body shape. "Yeah," I mumbled. "I guess you're right."

"Come sit with us," She urged, her hands clenched. "I promise- we don't bite."

Hearing her say those words, sort of shook me up, but I nodded anyways, not wanting to talk any further. As the beam entered her face at my acceptance, I listened carefully to Miss Rodman. She had just gotten to the part where Dracula bit his first prey. I glanced over at Alice, hearing her words in my head. _"I promise- we don't bite."_ How ironic.


	12. Ch9 You Tell Me

Chapter 9:

You tell me.

"Where exactly are you going?" I felt Marlena's harsh clutch attach itself to my upper arm. I squeaked, tightening my grip on my lunch tray, so it won't go flying as she flung be back to face her. "Are you not eating lunch with us today?"

I watched her face twist up in pain. Two weeks I had been here, and I was already having this much of a forthcoming impact on her? "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you in history," I explained. "But the Cullens invited me to sit with them at lunch today, and I didn't want to be so rude as to reject the offer."

As I continued to clarify, her face lit up into a smile. I knew she was just thrilled that I could get an inside pass for her to possibly sit at the Cullen table some day, but I was so preoccupied with trying to reassure her, I hadn't even notice her shaking with enthusiasm. "Don't worry about little ol' me! You just go sit with the Cullens," She shoved me off in their direction, and before I could escape freely, I heard her whisper softly in my ear. "And call me tonight and tell me everything about it!"

Stifling a laughter, I slowly began to head towards the Cullen table. All golden eyes were on me, except Bella's, everyone combined at the hip with their other, and as I continued to walk closer and closer- my head kept getting lighter and lighter. Thankfully, Emmett's smile put me into a positive trance. "Eden, Eden, Eden," He patted a seat between him and Alice. Hesitantly I slid my way into their table. "What's going on, girl?"

"I, well, um… nothing," I stared down at my full tray, and glanced over at Bella's. Self-consciously slurped my juice, and stared down vacantly at the table. I didn't really have anything else to say. I wasn't going to be the one making the conversations here- I had decided earlier.

"Surely something must be happening," Emmett frowned, patting me on the back. I flinched, jerking forward as his rough hands slammed comfortingly on me. "You're life can't possibly be that boring."

I glanced around the table. Bella was giving me a weak, somewhat pressured smile, as Edward stroked her arm with a finger. Alice and Emmett's eyes were both fixed on me, actually interested and smiling. Rosalie's cheeks were bright red, and her heel clicking on the tiled floor, noisily. Jasper impassively stared at me, expecting an answer. "I guess school work is what's happening."

Alice gave out a small giggle. It was so delicate, like music. "Eden is very fond of Dracula." Grinning, I nodded. That part was true. "We're reading it in Ancient Literature class. I can tell you adore it. She never takes her eyes away from the cover."

"Yeah," I murmured, half-smiling out of my own guilty pleasure. "It's a good book. It shows a lot of different emotions, I guess. Hearing about Dracula makes me sick. I think vampires can be so demented sometimes, but I like learning about these unbelievable, repulsive creatures minds have come up with. "

I heard Rosalie scoff, not embarrassed to hide her angst whatsoever. "This is ridiculous!" She pointed out, her arms flipping her hair back in a flash of anger. "Why are we even talking about this?" Her once gold eyes were now dark, fixed upon me. "Why are you even here? You're not one of us. Just because we hit you with our car, doesn't give you the right to just come over here and sit at our table." Apparently Rosalie had a thing for vampires and didn't appreciate me making nauseating remarks of them.

My heart began to thud. Why does she keep doing this to me? What had I said that had made her so upset? Apparently Rosalie had a thing for vampires and didn't appreciate me making nauseating remarks of them. Thankfully no one had really heard, and only a few curious eyes wandered over to our table. That is, no one except the Cullens. I wanted to illuminate to her, that I tried to keep all of the Cullens away, that they were the ones who invited me. Before I could ever get a shimmer of an explanation out, a low, coarse, snarl escaped from Jasper's throat. Everyone turned their head towards him in surprise.

"Jasper," Alice whispered, her supple voice seeming to calm him down. "It's okay, just, sit tight." It amazed me. She talked to him as though he were a dog. As though he weren't able to control himself on his own. I wanted to get up and run out of the cafeteria, my legs were shaking so bad- but my feet were perpetually stuck to the floor.

"Rosalie," Emmett's fists were clenched just as tight as Jasper's, and maybe even more. "Hold your tongue. You have no right to speak to her like that! None!" I was amazed that he could keep such a livid reproach in such a hushed tone. "We're the ones who invited her, Rosalie." I watched color arise to her cheeks. She shot a quick glance to me, then back to Emmett. "So you have no room to blame her for _anything._"

I felt my chest begin to heave, water pools lining the bottom of my eyes. They couldn't see me crying, they just couldn't. "I'm sorry," I murmured, shoving my chair back. Everyone's eyes now fixed away from Rosalie, and unto me. "I shouldn't have come." Standing up, I gasped to see Jasper match my movement. The whole lunch room was silent.

"Jasper," Alice whispered, her voice desperate. "Please sit down!" She shot a glance to everyone in the cafeteria. They all suddenly turned away, mumbling to their table mates. "You too, Eden! Sit down this instant! You're not leaving this table!" Her tone was so mother-like, I couldn't refuse.

I stared, momentarily, at Jasper. We were both shaking, and before I could sit down, he was already in his chair, his hands frustratingly in his hair. I mocked his move quickly and stared down at my shoes. "Now," I heard Alice hiss, her hands banging on the table. "We're going to work this out. This is stupid."

"Everything about it is _stupid,_" I heard Rosalie snap, her beautiful face now twisted up into a covetous gargoyle. Her perfectly manicured nails pointed in my face. "What gives her the right? What gives you," she spoke, her point now fixing to Alice. "the right to invite her?"

Emmett snatched her finger in his hand. He shook his head back and forth, deeply looking into her face. The passion in which he stared at her, although he was irate, made me feel like I was intruding. I derisorily looked back down at the floor. "Sometimes I wonder if you even have a heart, Rose." My eyes shot back up at the sound of Emmett's words. He didn't actually say that. He couldn't have.

Rosalie's face once again twisted into hurt. She shoved back her chair, and walked out in silence. I blinked away the tears again. "You shouldn't have said that," I urged to Emmett. My voice began to grow louder. "You knew I could have left, but all you did was tell her that she had no heart! If she doesn't like me then, fine!" I stood up as well, Jasper no longer following my motion. He must have known that I actually wanted to leave this time. "You know what? And this is directed towards all of you- don't talk to me again." I knew my words were harsh, but I wasn't afraid to speak them. "I just want to live here quietly. And I don't really understand what's going on in all of your lives, but I don't think I want to be a part of it."

As I began to head off in the opposite direction that Rosalie had left, I felt a soft hand grab my arm. I looked down to see Bella, smiling a feeble smile. She stood up, and led me out of the cafeteria. I didn't know where she was taking me, but I didn't argue. I just wanted to get out of there. And Bella's comforting gesture made me feel slightly better.

She led me through the empty halls and to the girls' bathroom. Making sure no one was in there, she motioned for me to follow her. As I hesitantly walked in, she heaved a heavy sigh. "I wouldn't normally be doing this, but I'm going to give you a little insight on the Cullens."

"No thanks," I spat out swiftly. "I've gotten enough insight for this week, thanks." She shook her head, silencing me. Leaning against the wall, my arms crossed over my chest, I decided to actually listen to her.

"The Cullens are very reserved," she explained, her hand motions slow and planned out. "But there are some differences about them, that I can't… technically, _explain _to you, or to anyone for that matter."

Great, just what I needed- a Cullen philosophy.

"I'm not saying that you won't find out eventually," she shifted on her toes. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think you will, unless you move away before then."

I stared, dumbfounded at her. "What are you getting at?" I choked, my heart tensing up. "I've only been here for 3 weeks, and already I'm scared of people I don't even know. Why does Rosalie hate me so much? That's all I want to know, really, so I can work on fixing it for my next move."

"That's the thing!" Bella snapped, a sudden wave of explanations coming to her head. "It's not you with the problem, it's Rosalie. I mean, I can't tell you what goes on with her, because it's just hard to explain. She's a very jealous person, and well, sometimes that gets the better of her."

"Rosalie is jealous of me?" I tried to hide my amusement. "Impossible."

Bella shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. "It's not as impossible as it seems. The Cullens are different. They live differently than a lot of normal kids such as you and like me. And the only reason I'm informing you on all of this, is because, for things to work out between you and them, you have to know that it's going to take some time for the work outing."

I stared at her pale face. She could have been paler than the Cullens, just not as dazzling. At this moment though, it surprised me how pretty she was. "You really love him, don't you?" My voice grew soft and filled. She shot me a look of fright and bewilderment.

"Love him?" She choked, seeming more mortified than I was in the cafeteria. "Who? You mean Edward?" I nodded, not wanting to be sarcastic with her. "Edward," her name escaped her lips with such an urge and want, that I nearly jumped back with disclosure. Slowly, she began to nod.

I felt a smile form on my face. I could sense it. Something about the way she moved around Edward, and the way she moved without him shocked me. She gave small grin too, and then shook her head. "Which is why I know all of this, and this is why I'm telling you. Like I said, they really want to be friends with you, or I wouldn't even be wasting all of my time telling you this. Rosalie is just a hard one to reach. She just wants a normal life," Bella shook her head back and forth. "It's something I know she'll never really get."

"Why is that?" I pondered, aloud. "I mean, why can't she have a normal life? Is it Carlisle who is holding her back? Is it Emmett?" I shrugged, clearly not understanding what sort of state, or mess rather, she was in. "I just don't get what's holding her back."

Bella shook her head, wary of saying anything else. "I think I've said too much already. It's Rosalie's life, and if I gave you any more insight on it than what I already have, then she'll probably find out and kill me," she lowered my worry with a cool snicker. "Don't worry though, Eden. I don't think you have to worry about upsetting Rosalie anymore. Or for a few more days, on that matter." Vaguely curious, I asked why. She smiled and explained, "The weather is supposed to be nice the rest of the week. I doubt the Cullens will even show up."

"That's true," I grimaced, wishing my mom would be as nice as to take me to the beach on a sunny day, rather than school. "I do have another question for you, Bella," My throat suddenly got tight. "Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, I mean- it's okay for all of them to be together, right? I mean, technically they're not all related, so I don't see how it should matter."

She gasped, playfully. "Of course not! No, it's not illegal or anything. I guess I see the weirdness in that as well. I've gotten used to it though, and you should too, if you stick around. Don't be afraid to come and eat lunch with me tomorrow, though. I'd love to talk to you again." Something about her words seemed true, and fitting. I grinned at the thought of this.

"So, Bella," I said. "If you were a Cullen to begin with, would you still fall for Edward?"

She began to laugh as we made our way out of the restroom. "You tell me!"


	13. Ch10 Tick Tock Tick

Chapter 10:

Tick. Tock. Tick.

I was sitting there, in my car. I heard the ticking of the clock ring in my ears. Drumming on my wheel, staring at my kitchen window- I obviously didn't want to go inside.

Something must have happened during school that involved the school board calling my mom. I don't know why, or what it was- but generally when I got an odd feeling in my stomach, and for some reason, I couldn't get my feet to go out of my car, I knew something bad had happened. With my luck, of course it had.

Hesitantly, I twisted the keys in the ignition and pulled them out. My eyes never left the kitchen window, even as I began to walk up to my door.

"You're late!" My mother's voice rang out from the kitchen. Before I could explain, my fingers automatically pinched the bridge of my nose, my face curling up in disgust. "Don't give me that look," my mom frowned, leaning over the stove. "It's honey!"

Scoffing, I ripped off my coat and joined her in the kitchen. "You're burning honey?" I groaned, placing my hands to my hips. "What for, anyways?"

"I read it in some old cooking magazine! It's better if you do this, that way, when you make the bread, it's a lot more-"

Grinning, I patted her on the back, trying to ignore the air. "That's great, mom, but I have a lot of homework to do." I quickly pecked her on the cheek, before she could have a chance to argue with me about how she needed my help. By all means, I was not helping her with _that _smell floating around.

An hour clicked by. I lay on my bed, my arms behind my head, papers all around me, and my mind tired and exhausted from school work. I didn't want to think about what was actually on my mind, and I was hoping- trying to sleep would get my mind off of it.

Groggily, I hugged the pillow to my head, and squeezed my eyes shut. My often vivid imagination took me no where, and I cracked open my eyes with a heavy sigh. My mom, stood at my threshold, smiling and shaking her head.

"Frustrated, much?" She chuckled, lying down next to me on my bed. Groaning I buried my face in my pillow again."It's only 4:30, sweetie. You've been doing homework for an hour and a half, now. I think you need some fresh air."

Grumbling, I tried to escape to my head again. "I don't want to go outside."

"Alright," She nodded, her fingers lazily twisting my hair around. "Then we'll just talk." I grunted, hoping she would get my incoherent offer for her to leave. She didn't. "I got a call today. Guess who it was from?"

I bit down on my tongue, already knowing the answer. "God."

"Oh, haha Eden! You're hilarious."

"Sorry, mom. Continue."

I heard her clap her hands together. "Doctor Cullen gave me a call."

My eyes instantly flashed open, my body spinning and twisting around to face her. I was in shock… He had called my mom! Rosalie had complained to him about me! And for something that I had no idea what I did wrong! My heart began to ring inside my ears and my palms became moist as I rung them together tightly.

"Stop, it Eden, stop it!" My mother's firm grip grasped my hands together tightly. "You don't need to be so nervous. I swear, sometimes I look at you and only see your father."

Normally a child would be unamused with this comment, but I, on the other hand, was quite flattered. Rarely did my mother even dare to say anything about him.

"He called to apologize. He called for you, but you were late coming home, so you missed your chance." I cursed under my breath. "Apparently you got in a fight with his eldest daughter at lunch? Sweetie, is that true?" I turned my head away. "Eden," she whined. "This isn't like you. You're acting so different; I feel like I won't even know who you are in a month!"

"Blame the Cullens!" I shouted, ripping my hands from her grasp and hopping off my bed. "Everything they do confuses me! Rosalie hates me- I don't know why! Emmett, Alice and Edward all seem to be really sweet to me, but so sweet to the point where they would tell off their own sister for me? Is that normal mom? I don't even know their middle names! We can't even say we're friends, so why do they keep acting like this!?"

Her eyes grew wide as I continued to speak. She gave a small; "Oh." Once I was done ranting. Ah, but I wasn't quite finished. "Then there's Jasper, who always looks like he wants to vomit when he sees me, and on rare occasions looks like he wants to jump in front of a car for me! I don't understand what goes on in their house mother!" Grumbling, I flopped down on my computer chair, in silent defeat and dropped my head onto the table with a thud.

I heard her stand up quietly, and soon I felt her comforting lips kiss the top of my head. "Eden, the Cullens really like you. Rosalie is jealous of you, I think, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't _try_ to be nice back."

"I have tried," I answered robotically. "Nothing works. I don't get them. I never will."

"I don't believe that. I think they like you too much to let you just walk out of their lives. I know it sounds odd honey, but the world is full of mysteries. Maybe if you grow close to them, you'll find out why they like you so much."

I had to admit, it was a reasonable suggestion.

I heard her gasp. "I think my honey's done!" My eyes remained shut as she rushed out the door and down the stairs. Images flashed in my mind of ballerinas, Picassos, Circuses, everything imaginable really, except the Cullens. After another hour of sitting and doing nothing, I had congratulated myself on hardly thinking anymore about them.

Once more interrupted, as I had been so many times before, the ringing of my doorbell made me jump out of my thoughts. "Hello?" I heard my mom's faint voice come from downstairs. "Eden? Oh yes, I'll go get her!"

Someone had come to see me? It was probably Marlena. Or maybe it was Lucas. He seemed to really like me lately. "Eden?" My mom swung my door open in a flurry, her voice dimming to a whisper. "There's a really cute boy at the door. He wants to talk to you."

"It's not a Cullen, is it?!" I nearly shrieked. She shrugged, at a loss for words. I quickly shoved past her and rushed down the stairs. And to my surprise, it wasn't a Cullen at all.

He could have been a Cullen.

His eyes were a deep, captivating blue. I stood there, gaping, my eyes wandering over his slick black hair. His black boxy glasses that matched his hair were fitting on his face and he was smiling, a gorgeous smile that made my knees go weak. "Eden?" He asked- the smile I wanted to look at forever disappearing into a frown. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" I shouted, gripping the rim of the door for support. "I'm okay, I'm just…" He looked so familiar. Why couldn't I place my finger on it? "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

His face churned up into a look of frustration. I instantly regretted my question. "My name's Danny…" He was tentative too, also at a loss for words. I felt so incredibly stupid with my appearance, with my words- everything. I probably looked like a horror movie, after lying on my bed for two and a half hours. "I have lunch with you; I'm Marlena's friend…"

"Oh my god," I gasped. "I'm so sorry, I hadn't recognized you! I knew I had seen you before, I just couldn't-"

He gave a small laugh. "It's alright, no need to worry about it." He held out a large book to me. I grinned widely, snatching it from his hands. "Yeah, it's your science book…" His hands rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. "You left it on the table two days ago, and I was going to give it back to you today, but…"

I nodded, understanding. "Right, I didn't sit with you guys today."

"No," He murmured. "You didn't." There was a self-conscious silence between us. "Well, okay!" He shrugged, breaking the stillness. "I thought you would need it, so there it is."

"Right, right." I nodded slowly, my eyes attached to my feet. I could feel his eyes on me. "Well," I tilted my head up. "Thank you so much Danny. I mean it; I would have been dead if I would have lost it."

He dug his fists further into his pockets and gave a small smile. I heard my mom come down the stairs slowly and sneak around into the kitchen. "It's not a problem. Just helpin' out."

Once more I thanked Danny, and let him go on his way. He climbed into his dark green pick-up truck and drove off into the rainy streets. My stomach churned as his car rolled out of sight. "Now, that was _not _a Cullen." My mom grinned, shaking her head back and forth in delight.

No. No, he certainly was not.


	14. Ch11 Sweet Dreams?

Sweet Dreams?

I was running. My feet were flying behind me, as I pushed myself further along the damp street. My eyes were closed, but I didn't need to open them, because I wasn't going anywhere in certain.

The moon was so ashen, so bursting- but it only shown on me. Everything else was dark, except for I. My breath was frozen, but my body warm. How long have I been running?

Suddenly, something soft touched my skin, and I halted to a stop. I could feel something crawling, growing up my leg, like a spider clinging to her web. For the first time in my dream, I was afraid. I opened my eyes without hesitation, though my heart kept pounding in my ears.

"Stay here," A rough voice demanded in my head. I looked down, down to my feet, to find vines clinging to my legs. Grunting, I tried to run, but I was stuck. "Where would you go? Who would go with you?"

Trying to fight my way out, I looked forward at the sound of feet walking. "Danny!" I gasped, reaching out to the boy at the end of the road. His smile was wide, and we locked eyes for a moment. I begged him to help me. And the more I begged, the more he frowned.

Something was behind me, I knew that. He kept staring at it, and I wanted to turn around but by now, the vines were tight around my body, up to my torso, and they kept growing.

I watched his face grow pale. His hands began to shake. My mouth was suddenly cold, and I couldn't choke out anything. Blinking away tears as the vines hugged around me tighter, I opened my eyes to find him gone.

I began to tug and tug at the roots, as more salty tears dripped down my face. "Where is everyone?" I shouted, glancing up at the moon. "Where is anybody?" The coldness in the air began to freeze my hands, they were beginning to be covered in ice. I didn't want to fight anymore- so I shut my eyes and endured it.

"Don't cry," I heard a small voice, weaker than the one before- different than it, but not so different. They were both calm, but one more so than the other. My tears suddenly stopped falling. I felt someone else's hands gently touch mine. Their cold fingers went sliding over mine. "Eden…" The voice whispered so close to my ear- that I could feel their breath upon my neck. "Don't cry, Eden."

Their soothing hands grasped mine tightly. And although they were colder, the ice from mine began to melt away. Who was it? I didn't dare open my eyes.

The moon began to grow smaller. Darkness began to disappear into a serene fog. Again, my eyes weren't open, but I knew what was happening. "I want to be close to you," The voice cooed seductively in my ear. Even though it entranced me, I could hear the pain in the words in which he spoke. "But I can't. Is it wrong? To want to be close to you?"

"No," I choked out speedily. The voice began to sound familiar in my ears. I kept trying to open my eyes in the dream. I wanted to see this boy- this boy who I was dreaming of. "Don't leave. Please. Keep talking, just keep saying anything."

I felt their fingers lazily trace my wrist and then move up to my hair. "Don't worry, Eden. I'll protect you."

My heart began to race. If someone would have said something like this, I had to know who it was. What if it wasn't someone I knew? I mean, my dream must be telling me something, right? If it wasn't someone I recognized, then I simply had to keep my eyes open for him in the future.

On the other hand, however- if it was someone I knew… Then I would have to watch out for them. Because, it seemed they would be watching out for me.

Biting on my lip, I snapped my eyes open.

There he was. Standing there, suddenly inches away from me. I blinked, and blinked and blinked, trying to see if the figure would disappear, but it didn't.

His hair was twisting around the wind, as it blew. It clung loosely to his white face that looked at me with indifference. Nothing, in my life could have been so beautiful.

But I hated thinking that this was the person who was speaking to me. This wasn't true, it was all just a dream. I shook my head, trying to wake up, trying so hard to tell myself that nothing was meant to see him in my dream, and that all of it was just an illusion.

The voice once more rang inside my head, but only this time, in my body as well. I could feel the words just crawling into my ears and into my brain, as though, even though I didn't want to hear them, that they were _true _and that they would _always _be true.

"I'll protect you, Eden."

I woke up screaming, sweat dripping down my face and all across my body. I twitched and hugged my blankets closer to myself. Gazing out the window at the full moon, I complained to myself, shutting my eyes. "Jasper Hale?"


	15. Ch12 Loss of Two

Chapter 12:

Loss of Two.

(Hey everyone, before you get reading- I wanna thank you all a million for you wonderful reviews! Don't be hesitant to give me any suggestions for the story in the review boxes- I want to know what you'd like to see happen, and I'll try and work with it! If you know anyone else who likes Jasper or Twilight, recommend my story! Once again, I love all you guys enormously, and please don't leave, haha! I need you guys! Have a Merry Christmas! Infinite X's and O's, Allie.)

The weekend couldn't have come soon enough. After a long and dismal Friday, I woke up feeling refreshed, and I tried with much effort to not think about my dream. The more I told myself to forget about it, however, the more it stuck with me. Go figure.

"Maybe you should call one of your friends," My mom boringly suggested through a mouthful of pancakes. "Some social life might help you stop all that screaming."

I snapped my head up at the sound of her words. She stared, smirking at me from across the table, with a knowing look. "You heard that? Man, I didn't know it was that loud. You're generally a heavy sleeper. Not to mention, a heavy snor-"

"Don't say it!" She warned, her finger threateningly pointed out at me. "Or you'll have to stay home and help me finish my painting. All. Day." Her words were supposed to be threatening, but of course, they drew me in.

"Really?" I gasped. "Mom! You never let me help you with your paintings. Can I really stay home and help? Please?"

Of course, that wasn't what she expected. "What? No! Just for saying that, I insist you call Marlena and ask her to see a movie with you. And by insist, I mean demand." I rolled my eyes and got up over to the phone. I heard her mumble pleasantly to herself, dumping more syrup on her plate.

"Marlena?" I spat out, as I heard her perky hello answer from the other side. "Oh, hey, it's Eden. Are we still on for a movie today? I was hoping we could go and see that new Kiera Knightly movie." I shrugged, forgetting the title already.

"Oh my god, Eden, I am so sorry," She whined from the other end. "I totally promised Danny that we would go to this weird music show today. I would have told you on the other day, but you were with the Cullens, and all, so…"

"Say no more," I sighed, not wanting to hear about the Cullens, or even Bella today. "I completely understand."

There was a long pause between us. My mother stared at me questioningly. Shrugging, I began to speak again. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. You have a good day with Danny."

"Come on Eden," Marlena scoffed. "You know we want you to come. We being Danny and I." I smiled to myself. They actually _wanted _me to come. "Danny, especially-"

My eyes grew wide. "What do you mean by that?"

She giggled from the other end. "So, I'll pick you up in an hour?"

"Aww," I grunted in disappointment. "Come on Marlena, what does that even mean? You know I'm not good with that kind of stuff!" I wasn't, actually. I'm still not- for your information, reader. And I never will be. Ever.

She cooed, and the click of her phone turning marked the end of that conversation.

"What was _that _all about?" My mom questioned, bringing her plate over to the sink. "Sounded like there were some… boy issues? Hopefully not a Cullen-"

I wanted to yell at her to shut up. I held my tongue however. "Look, it doesn't really matter." She opened her mouth to protest, but I silenced her with a finger. "Don't push it mom. If I wanted to tell you, I'd tell you. It's nothing, so don't worry about it."

"Oh yeah?" She called out after me, once I headed off towards the stairs. "Well, wait until it becomes a _real_ problem! I won't be here if you need me!"

Of course she would be, so I didn't worry as I shut my door. It wouldn't become a problem, though. Danny seemed like a super guy.

Looking around my messy room, I grinned in mocking letdown. I knew I wasn't going anywhere until I cleaned up.

Thankfully, cleaning was a way to pass the time. Almost always when you clean your room, you generally find something that you weren't exactly looking for, but you had knowledge that you lost it.

That's sort of what happened with me, only, I didn't know I had lost it, and I didn't know that I even had it.

I was over by my desk, by all of my scattered homework, when I found a small, light blue piece of paper with flowers on the corner. Creasing my brow, I began to unfold it, only to find beautifully scrolled letters that read;

Sit by us at lunch again? Hopefully Rosalie will feel better. You know we love having you.

Your friend,

Alice.

Staring down at the paper in disbelief, questions began to run through my mind. I hadn't brought my bag to lunch, so how could she slip it in? Not to mention, that after lunch I had no other classes with the Cullens. I groaned and rubbed my head in annoyance. She had said she was my friend. Was she?

Crinkling the paper up in my fist, I chucked it in the waste-basket. Of course the Cullens would invite me again. Even though the last time had been a disaster. They all really liked me, and for what reason- I didn't know.

Walking, ever so leisurely, I made my way over to the waste basket. The little blue paper stared up at me from the empty bottom. "Stop it," I spoke, actually talked to it. I admit it, I did. "I'm not having lunch with you. I'm not, I'm just not." Silence filled the room. I continued to stare down at the paper, as though half expecting it to move. "You all hate me, don't deny it. You're all probably in some weird cult and you just want me to be a follower."

I instantly grabbed my head, shutting my eyes. "What am I doing?" I squeaked to myself, leaning against my window. When you started talking to a piece of paper, you knew you were going nutty. And I blamed it all on the Cullens. I _still _blame it all on the Cullens.

"When exactly are you even _going _Eden?" My thoughts were instantly broken with the sound of my mother's annoyed pestering from outside my door. "You can't just storm up those stairs without explaining! And _where _are you going? And who _with_?"

Unsteadily, I threw open my door, to meet her at the top of the stairs. "I am going to Port Angeles, to see some weird music show. Marlena is taking me and…" I twitched, not wanting to say the name in fear of what reaction I'd get.

"Go on," She pushed. "Who?"

"Danny is going with us." I said, quickly, hoping she wouldn't hear. She grinned, gradually nodding her head. "Mom, stop it." I shifted on my feet uneasily. "That's weird, I got invited. I don't even know him." Wagging a finger at me, she slowly backed up to her room. "And we're leaving in 10 minutes! If you even _care _anymore…" I said, checking my watch.

My words instantly made my stomach lurch. "Oh my god, they'll be here in ten minutes! My hair isn't even done and I'm not even dressed!" I don't really know who I was talking to- my mother was long out of sight.

Frantically, I began to comb my hair and brush my teeth, probably a lot more fast than what I needed to. Rushing to my closet, I threw on your every day typical outfit, and applied a small dosage of chap stick.

By the time I was done getting ready, I had 7 minutes left. No need to flip out, at all.

I sat down lazily on my couch and looked at the clock. It was 12 PM, and I had to admit that I was a little dissatisfied the show was so early in the day. I often found myself disgustingly bored at night time.

The ringing of the doorbell however surprised me and I quickly jumped up to answer it. "Hey babe!" Marlena grabbed me into a bear hug, her peace shirt vibrantly green. "Ready for the show?" I choked out a tiny yes, as best as I could. Craning by head around her shoulder, I tried to get a good look at Danny in the car. I felt like a creep, but I just wanted to see him again.

"Okay, so let's go!" She paused, halting me. "Wait. You might want to tell your mom you're leaving. I know she's a nerve-racking type of person." She had a good point there.

"Mom!" I shouted, quickly shuffling out the door. "I'm leaving, okay bye!" I slammed the door shut before she could come down and kiss me or hug me, or do something uncomfortable. Marlena laughed and we headed out for the car.

"Be prepared for some psychedelic music man!" She nodded, enthusiastically, hopping into the passenger's seat. I grinned, climbing into the back of the green pickup truck, I so vividly remembered from the other night. "Danny, Eden," She motioned towards both of us. "I know you already met, but I thought I would just say your names, in case the other one forgot."

He laughed and began to back up out of the driveway. "No, don't worry Lea, I didn't forget." He gave me a small smile, and I returned it with the redness of my cheeks.

"Aww, look at her!" Marlena playfully gasped. "She's _blushing._"

Danny scoffed, as my eyes grew wide. I looked out the window, completely and utterly embarrassed, hopping no one would say anything more about my rosy cheeks. "Of course she's blushing," Danny said, now driving us out of distance from my house. "I'm the one who was talking."

Marlena gasped rather enormously, and slapped him on the knee. "Hey! You're not all that great Danny. Don't let these rock stars get to your head." He smirked over at her, shaking his head. "And don't give me that look."

They were plainly on relaxed terms. However, I was not. Marlena was becoming a good friend, but Danny, I had only just met. "So, Eden," Danny shifted in his seat at my name. I liked the way he said my name. "Why'd you move to Forks?"

"My mom's a business woman," I explained at a snail's pace. "We just move around a lot."

"Oh!" He grinned, adjusting his glasses. "That's nice. I mean, maybe not to you, but I sure would love to travel some more."

Marlena gave him a bitter glare. "Danny, you travel _all _the time."

"No I don't," He frowned, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "I mean, I go a lot of places, but I don't really travel. I don't sight see or anything. Just family crap."

I laughed whole-heartedly. Family crap? I didn't know how any time with your family could be considered crap. Probably because I had so little of it, I had to make the best of what I had.

"And what does your dad do?" He seemed sincerely interested. Normally I would come back with a witty remark, but he really did seem like he wanted to know. It was nice to know someone cared.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the question being asked. I hated even saying the word 'dad', because it sprung up so many unanswered questions in my mind. "My dad died when I was young," My voice explained in a sigh.

The car grew silent. Marlena's jaw dropped, and she turned to face me. "Oh my god, Eden, that totally sucks, I am so sorry for you!" I nodded, giving a weak smile. "Don't try and tell me its okay, because it's not. Fatherly love is what makes the peace in my family! Danny won't bring it up again." She glared at him, and once more slapped him on the knee. He winced.

"Oh no," I spat out hurriedly. "Don't blame Danny. He didn't know. It's not his fault." My stomach churned as he looked miserably back at me through the rear-view mirror. "Besides, I was lucky to know him at all, you know? I should be happy that I got that much."

"I'm really sorry Eden," Danny mumbled biting his bottom lip.

I smiled, hoping to reassure him. "It's really not your fault." It didn't work, I don't think, because he was still frowning when we saw the flashing lights. "What's going on?" I asked, peeking my head up to see through the windshield.

"Well, whatever it is, there's certainly a lot of cops!," Marlena exclaimed. "Doctors, too. I don't see Doctor Cullen. Huh, that's weird. He _is_ head doctor."

Danny brought his brows together, stopping the car. I looked forward more, noticing a gate. The road was blocked off, and what for? "Do you think there's been a fender bender?"

"No," Danny mumbled. "There are way too many people here for it to be a car accident. Besides, there are trained hunter dogs walking around." He clicked off the truck. "I have a bad feeling about this. Whatever _this _is…"

He rapidly cracked open the car door, hopping out. Marlena followed him, and I followed them both, Danny opening my door for me. I was too curious to be polite, and I dazedly made my way towards the gate.

"Excuse me," Danny called out towards an officer. "Officer?" The man continued to jot a bunch of notes down on a paper. Rolling his eyes, Danny called out one more time. "Jack?"

The man snapped his head up, a small smile on his face. "Danny Jones?" He was large, his face a bit pudgy, but it displayed a warm smile. He walked up to our trio, slapping hands with Danny. "How's it been man?"

"It's been going great, Big Jack, but listen up, we were actually on our way up to Port Angeles for a music fair, but it seems that you are ever so rudely blocking the road." I grinned, amused. "This is in the way of our schedule."

"Sarcasm," The man snapped. "Clever."

Danny shrugged. "I'd call it; 'Being polite.'"

Marlena shoved Danny back, stepping up to 'Big Jack', apparently that was his name. "So, Jack, what's going on? I really wanted to go to the concert!" She groaned, clasping her hands to her knees.

"Well," He sighed, tugging his pants up. I frowned in repugnance. "I don't think that'll be happening any time soon." I shot a glance at Danny. I was really looking forward to spending the day with him. My luck.

"Well, what's happening?" I asked, looking around. "It looks pretty big."

He sighed, running his hands through his lack of hair. I tried to contain my laughter. Not so easy when you have a buzz cut. "There's been an attack. Another one- animal." My ears caught the word; 'another'. An animal attack? Well, that wasn't so bad. "They killed a few fishers. I guess it got really bloody and bad today, more worse than normal."

I choked, my stomach becoming weak. Fishers? This animal killed _people_? And it wasn't the first time, I guess. "Wait," Danny's face became pale. His hands began to shake, and I squeaked as he clamped his hand on my shoulder for support. "Did you say animal attack?" Obviously Danny had been lost in though a moment or two ago.

"Sure did," Jack wore a tight frown.

Danny's breathing picked up, his hand dropping from my shoulder and running through his medium-lengthened dark hair. "Are all the cops in there?" Jack nodded, slowly. "My _dad_, including? And Chief Swan?" I jumped. Bella's dad was the chief of police? Danny's dad was his partner? You learn something new every day, I guess.

"Now, Danny I know you're worried and all, but they've got _protection_-"

I didn't like the wild look in Danny's eyes. He was breathing heavily, his mouth open, his hands clenched. He shifted from foot to foot. Marlena looked at him, then to me. We were both afraid he was going to do something stupid. "Danny, its okay, your dad is a professional," Marlena tried to reassure him. "He'll be_ okay_."

"You don't get it Marlena!" Danny cried, facing her, has face red with anger. "These attacks have been going on, and on!" He moaned, looking around. "He always talks about how afraid he is, how bad it's getting. And now he's in there! No one is stopping them, so I _will_!"

Marlena grabbed his shoulders, attempting to calm him down. "Danny! Babe, calm down! _Please_, don't go off and do something reckless!"

He stared at her for a moment, taking her words in. I watched them both. Marlena was shaking her head. Danny's face was emotionless, unreadable. I couldn't imagine what he was thinking. I didn't like what he was about to do.

He quickly grunted, shoving her back and spinning on his heels. "Danny!" Marlena cried, in unison with Jack. I stood, surprised, watching his fast legs take him into the forest. "Someone go get him!" Marlena shoved Jack. "Go on!"

"We can't!" Jack gapped, astonished. "We're all busy here!"

Before even saying a word to either of them, I was on my toes, rushing into the thick trees. I heard Marlena call out to me in worry, but I was more worried about Danny at that moment.

The road began to disappear from sight, as the trees came darker and closer together, scraping up against me. My legs could only take me so fast, and eventually, I had to stop and take my time. "Danny!" I cried out, catching my breath. "_Danny!_" I couldn't see anyone, or anything. I was completely, and utterly alone.

That's one thing about me that shows I'm stupid. I never pay attention. I didn't even try to look for Danny in the woods, I just _ran_. I don't know what I was thinking. My stomach growled at me, and I unhappily sat on a moss laced tree trunk. I groaned, shoving my face into my hands.

Why did I have to chase after him? If my mom found out, at least I had a good reason.

I heard a crackle of leaves behind me. I felt my head grow stretched, like a bad headache. My eyes instantly froze on my shaking hands. I didn't want to move, but something told me I should.

I slowly craned my head around to see what the noise was. It felt like time was rushing past me. Like, when I turned around I would learn something that I didn't want to know. No matter what I saw, I had to live with it.

What could be so bad? I just got these weird feelings all the time in bad situations. The forest's tall, secure trees kept me locked in.

When I spun around, when I faced what was looking right back at me, I wanted to cry.

He was so tranquil.

I wanted to reach out to him, to touch him.

He stood not too far off, but I felt like, that no matter how long I walked towards him, I would never be any closer. It was as though something held me back, and that I couldn't be near him. His eyes were wide, and he was breathing heavily, his mouth open.

I took in his appearance very slowly. His clothes were rugged, torn, chaotic, filthy, mud-spattered, almost as much as his hair. Yet, he looked so fair, standing there in front of me.

I focused my eyes on his lips. They weren't frowning, but they weren't smiling either. One thing I did notice was-

Teeth.

His teeth.

Intense crimson teeth that matched the color of his lips.

My heart began to thud, louder and louder. I felt like my whole world was suddenly a dream, and I hadn't woken up from my previous one. I felt my whole heart swell up, and not because I was scared, but because _he _was. Like I had ruined his whole purpose, like he didn't want me to think of him as a monster, or whatever he was, because he didn't want me to hate him.

My head was suddenly non-aching. And I felt soothed, and I wanted to reach out to him, and embrace him, and console him-

I snapped my head around. What? No! Why was I feeling like this? My eyes couldn't look away from him, for some reason. "You," I managed to spit out, rather sloppily. "You're the one who did this? You're the one who _killed _all of those people? Who are you, even?"

Jasper- a name that now frightened me even more than it had before- blinked. My sense of calmness was suddenly broken. He didn't say anything, his face frozen into a statue of pain. He shut his mouth, his scarlet teeth disappearing.

"Answer me!" I cried, slamming my fist onto the tree trunk. "You're a madcap, aren't you?! Your whole family is nuts!" Tears began to line the edge of my eyes. I didn't want to say these things, after them all being so amiable to me. "Stay away from me!" Tripping, I back away from him. "Just leave me _alone_!"

I felt the tears rush to my eyes. He stared down at the ground, a small smile forming on his upset face. He didn't look like himself. His voice, when he spoke, was a hushed murmur. I wanted to cover my ears, and I pretend like I didn't hear him.

"I would if I could."

With another grimace, he rushed off into the thickets of the woods, his voice echoing and remaining with me. I wanted to attach myself to his words, forever, as much as they terrified me. I wanted to write them down so I could never forget. But, what he said meant that he couldn't leave me, like he was going to protect me forever- just like he had said in my dream. Well, I can't live forever, and neither can he.

I wished I would have never come to Forks. I wished the Cullens never existed, as awful as that sounds. The rain began to pick up, as I hugged my knees closer to myself, shaking. My legs wouldn't move, and I sat on the cold wet ground until someone came to look for me.

I had to talk to someone about the Cullens. Someone who wasn't a Cullen, but knew them more than anyone else. Someone had to explain everything to me.

I had to go see Bella Swan.


	16. Ch13 Expectations

Chapter 13:

Wake Up.

(Sorry this took me a while to write. Writer's block, you know how it is.  Not to mention the holidays of course. And I really want to apologize ahead of time, for the ending of this. It was a very emotional scene, and it's 1:33 in the morning, but I felt like I HAD to get it done for you guys, so I'm apologizing ahead of time for lack of word ideas, and I hope it's not as shitty as I think it is. 3 Plus, this one is very long. So if you have somewhere to go in like, 20 minutes, I would recommend reading it later.)

I knew where I was. I knew fully where I was, and I didn't want to open my eyes. The drowsiness was wearing off, and my eyes rolled forward, but my eyelids however, stayed shut. I could see the bright florescent lights from underneath them.

Next to me, I could smell the medal wafting off of the utensils on my bed stand. I could feel the coldness coming out of the vents on the marble floor. I shifted on the itchy sheets, and tugged at my robe. However, I kept my eyes shut.

"Is she awake?" I heard Marlena ask. "Or do you think she's just fidgeting in her sleep again?"

I was hoping that my mom was not, but I knew she was. The hospital must have called her, and when they had, she must have come down here in a flash. I tried as hard as I could not to move, hoping they would forget about my movements and go back to waiting. Something inside my heart clicked. Then again, what if Danny was in the in the room? Behind my closed eyes, I longed to see him.

I could feel my legs shaking in the silence. My heart began to beat faster, and my vision began to blur. I saw his eyes first. His black eyes, black as hell, the ones that terrified me more than anything. I saw his body, strong, hunched. I remembered his teeth. Ones that were so red, like one's blood were upon it.

My eyes cracked open, searching the room, and I was thankful to see where I thought I was- a white hospital room with my mom, and Marlena. No Danny.

I saw my mom unhurriedly grin at me. I tried to lurch away as she wrapped her comforting arms around my shoulders, squeezing all existing air from me. "My Eden, you're okay!" I felt her warm kisses all across the top of my head.

My head began to feel tight, and my vision began to be taken over by black specks. Groaning, I pushed her away. My stomach lurched, and I felt like I hadn't eaten in days. All of the feelings began to move for my throat. I quickly snatched a pink box from the night stand next to me, and hurled up what was left from my stomach.

"Oh sick!" Marlena shut her eyes instantly, plugging her nose. "That's just a lovely wake up call, isn't it?"

I heard my mom wince, and hurriedly toss the box in the trashcan. Dazedly, I whipped my mouth on my robe, not even caring about the stench. "How long have I been here?"

I couldn't lie at how great it felt to have my mother's hands run through my hair. I felt her hold me, and comfort me. She was protecting me, something I longed for. Something I wanted more from her than from anyone else. "You've been here for two days. Don't worry, you're not ill. I think you were just in a state of shock."

So, that's what my problem was.

State of Shock:

Definition

Shock is a medical emergency in which the organs and tissues of the body are not receiving an adequate flow of blood. This deprives the organs and tissues of oxygen (carried in the blood) and allows the buildup of waste products. Shock can result in serious damage or even death.

As I pondered this definition in my mind, I came to the conclusion that this wasn't what I had. Obviously. What I had was fear, and a bad case of it. I didn't wake up for so long because I didn't want to wake up. When I woke up, I was afraid of what I would see, so I simply never awoke.

"Where's Danny?" I blurted out, hugging my knees to my stomach. I felt the oblivion that I had left in there slosh around and growl at me. Maybe my mom shouldn't have thrown that box away, after all.

My mom frowned and glanced over at Marlena, who was too busy reading a Cosmo Girl magazine. After a moment's silence, she popped her head up in realization. "Did you ask about Danny?" She answered, uninterested. I nodded, weakly. If I opened my mouth, I feared of what would come out. "He's alright. He's just down the hall."

My eyes grow wide. He was down the hall? "Is he waiting for Eden to get up?" My mom asked for my thoughts. Was he down the hall, just tired of waiting in this room? Or was something else happening?

Marlena sighed, and set down her magazine. My head began to feel light and I slowly laid it down on the pillow as she spoke. "No, he got into a bit of a fix himself." I shut my eyes, tighter and tighter, not wanting to hear her perky voice anymore. "He was running in the woods, and I guess he tripped and fell down a ditch. Got scraped up pretty badly. His father is okay, so I think he's happy."

I heard her pick up her magazine once more and boringly flip through the pages. Deep down, I knew she wanted to read the magazine more than she wanted to be here. I shot my mom a look, and then over to Marlena. She caught my drift. "You know, Marlena, sweetie, you can go home. Now that Eden is awake and feeling… _better, _I'll probably just take her home."

I had forgotten that I was gripping the bed so hard. I winced, my fingers feeling broken at how hard I was squeezing. When I let go of the rim, I tried not to scream in misery. Every part of me was trembling, and I felt sore, even though I wasn't in pain. I felt Marlena's lips kindly kiss my cheek. I heard her and my mother whisper good-byes. I was fortunate to have such a good friend as Marlena here in Forks, in such little time. In a small town, it wasn't always easy.

"I want to see him," I muttered to my mother, without opening my eyes. "I want to talk to Danny, and exchange pains."

I heard her laugh and tap my nose. "Danny can wait. I just want to know what happened. You know how much I worry about you." Unfortunately, I did. This knowledge kept me from ever really living like a high school kid should. Of course, my mother said it was for my own good, and I went along with it, just to make her feel okay. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty."

"Eden!" She frivolously slapped my arm. I groaned and rolled over on my side. That only made my vacant stomach growl louder. I felt more vomit try to escape my mouth. It burned like acid, and I swallowed it back down. There was no other word besides; 'shitty' to describe how I felt at the moment, though.

"I thought I would be honest."

She sighed, deeply, and ran her anxious hands through her hair. "That's true, and I thank you." More silence, more sickness. I wanted to go home. I wanted to go home and curl up with a Daisy the Mouse book like I did when I was seven. I was at ease when I was seven. "I know you're probably not in the mood to hear this Eden, but we have to talk when you feel better." I sat, silent. "We have to talk about what happened in the woods, we have to talk about the way you've been acting since we've _moved_…"

I twitched. I wasn't different. I hadn't changed. The way I had been acting wasn't up for discussion, because there was nothing to discuss. If she thought me getting into trouble and getting sick and hurt was a different way of my personality, then she was wrong. Everything was because of the Cullens. "It's all because of the Cullens."

Her fist slammed down against the medal rim of my bed, taking me by surprise. "I don't want to hear anymore about the Cullens!" She hissed. I could hear the vile in her tone, and how much it upset her. I'm not a liar, or not often anyways, and she knew that. If I said the Cullens were trouble, she believed it, along with me. "Everything that happens to you, the things that scare me, always seem to incorporate with them! Well what about this time, Eden? I don't even know what happened, besides the fact you were chasing Danny. You seem half scared to death, and I don't even know why." Her heavy breathing made my shift disturbingly in my seat. "Are you going to blame it on another Cullen?"

My throat burned too much for me to answer. Thankfully, the door creaked open before I even could speak. I cracked my eyes open, wanting to see Danny. Instead I saw Carlisle.

His hair was messy today, and his eyes almost as dark as Jasper's had been in the woods. Even thinking about it made me want to scream. He hesitantly walked over to my bedside, giving my mother a weak smile. "Eden," His velvet voice overpowered his sloppy appearance. "You seem to be feeling better."

I opened my mouth to speak, against my will- but my mother jumped in before me. "She should be okay. She's a bit nauseas, but that's nothing I can't take care of at home." I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut. My head sunk lower beneath the covers, as scratchy as they were. I didn't want to look at another Cullen ever again.

"Ah, yes, well…" His voice shook. I peeked my eyes through the covers to see his hands, which were shaking too. Maybe he knew. Maybe he knew what I saw. "I'm certainly glad to hear it. We'll see if she has a fever and if she can function without nerve, then she's free to go"

"How's Danny?" I asked, monotonously from under the covers. He and my mom both looked down at me with surprise. Not that I saw them, but it took them a moment to answer.

I heard his long nails click against his clipboard. "Danny Jones is alright. He's cut up pretty badly, and some of them are pretty deep. His dad is fine too." He spoke to my mother. "We've been having a lot of animal attacks lately, and Danny's father is a one of the great police force men we have trying to take care of it." I heard my mother give a small realization mumble. "If you want to visit him later, you can."

Shaking my head, I came out from under the covers. Blankly, I stared ahead at the wall. My stomach began to ease down a bit, and I didn't feel like I was going to hurl up my insides as much as I did earlier. "No, it's okay. He doesn't know I'm here, does he?"

"Yes, he does. Your friend Marlena sat with him for a while, too. He's very well, but he needed a few stitches." Carlisle glanced down at his glossy watch. I frowned and looked away again. "He should be out of here this afternoon." The words surprised me. Danny knew I was here. Danny could walk around, and he was fine. Yet, he didn't come and see me? I cursed to my unlucky stars for being so selfish.

Carlisle sighed heavily, trying his best to give smile, and nodded towards my mother, about to leave the room. I quickly tugged on the tail of his lab coat, and he twisted around in confusion. "Is Bella with Edward today?" I asked, dropping his coat. It was freezing in my hand.

He gaped, seemingly flabbergasted by my question. "Bella's father won't let her be with Edward until the afternoon, but Edward might be with her by the time you leave the hospital. You should probably catch her tomorrow morning." I'm glad he didn't ask why I wanted to speak to her. That was one thing I liked about Doctor Cullen. He didn't intrude.

I murmured my thanks. He left, a nervous grin on his angelic face, and was replaced by an old nurse. Her hair was tied tightly back into a pony tail, its color a light gray. Her lips were pulled down into a permanent frown, and her eyes sagged along with her small body. I liked the other nurse, Summit, better.

She weighed me, made me walk across the room, checked my temperature, checked my bone stability and checked my throat. The whole time I felt my gag reflexes calming, finally cutting me some slack. I kept my mind off of Jasper as much as I could, and instead thought about how I haven't watched Night Court in a week.

"Well, you're all set," She said, pulling the stethoscope from her ears and jotting notes down on her clip board. "Feel free to leave your robe in here. Your mom can check you out at the front desk." I nodded and ripped off my robe, my clothes all neat underneath. "Be sure to drink a lot of water, and get a few more days of rest." She glanced me up and down. Her gaze was distracting and I looked over to my mom for comfort. "You're still a little fidgety."

My mom's hand clasped my shoulder. "Let's go home, alright? I'll be at the front desk, signing you out." She headed for the door, as I began to slip on my shoes. "Take your time. If I'm not out there, I'll be in the car."

I glanced around the small room. Thankfully, I had been asleep for the most part, and hadn't grown attached to the little room. I waved it off with a snicker and left. It was too cold anyways.

As I walked down the hallways, I could hear the sputtering and gagging of other patients as I passed their rooms. I shut my eyes, holding my arms tightly to my side. Nurses rushed past me in a blur, doctors quickly following them. For such a small hospital, today seemed awfully busy.

"Eden?" I heard a low voice crack behind me in the hallway. I recognized it instantly and I spun around in distress. My heart began to pound, and my hair stood on end. I wanted to be afraid, I wanted to be afraid of him like I was everyone else, but I wasn't.

His huge warms opened up to me, but not in a hug. Instead, I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling self-conscious, but smiling sheepishly. "Hello, Emmett." He gave a laugh, his huge body towering over me. I shyly laughed along with him, although I don't know what for.

"I heard about what happened. For some reason I can't imagine you fainting." He chuckled, as my cheeks grew red. I wanted to yell at him, for making me feel so comfortable. Surely he must have known why I fainted. I mean, Jasper must have told his family. Right? I wanted to believe what I had seen in the forest was just a case with Jasper, but looking at the Cullens strange behavior, I felt as though they _all_ had a secret. "Aww well," His voice interrupted my thoughts, and I felt his huge arms, ones that were ice cold, wrap around my shoulders. "It's good to have you back and awake."

As comforting as it was, thoughts continued rushing through my mind. I liked Emmet. I really, truly did, but I felt like I just had to let him know that I was scared. I had to let him know how I would be planning of getting rid of that fear. The sick feeling was coming back in my stomach, but I did my best to swallow it down. "Emmett?" I squeaked, shrugging him off. He raised his brow in curiosity.

My eyes looked around the lobby. They looked everywhere but him, because I just hated looking people in the eye when I gave them bad news. Come to think of it, I didn't like looking people in the eyes for any news. Their reactions were always stuck in my mind forever when I did. I decided to just spit it out, so it would be easier for both of us. I did miss Emmett though, although I hardly knew him. I missed thinking about how we could be friends. "I don't think we should talk anymore." More vomit. More swallowing. I must have looked absolutely dreadful and pale, as though I were dead. The thought made me cringe in embarrassment.

I heard him stop moving. He didn't sigh or moan. He simply stood where he was. I was guessing his expression said it all. Wanting to know what he was thinking, I looked upon his face. His look wore nothing. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I couldn't tell for all the money in the world. I scoffed and grabbed his arm, pulling him further down the hallway, away from possible on-lookers. "Your family scares me," I whispered honestly, my voice shaking. I clenched my sweaty fists together as tight as they could go. "Trust me, I want to be friends with you, I really do, but I just can't."

His face began to twist up in what looked like irritation and hurt. Why couldn't it just have been Danny who bumped into me? Why did it have to be Emmett? And why did my mind make me tell him this _now_? "I'm sorry Emmett," I choked and quickly turned my back on him. Mumbling to myself, I rushed out to the car, not really moving my feet. I was lost in thought. Was it the right thing to do?

Of course it was…

Yeah, of course it was.

"All ready?" My mom asked, smiling. I nodded. Then I instantly shook my head. She frowned. I leaned my head out of the open window and dumped the rest of my stomach onto the hospital driveway.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"I need to go see Bella," I spoke, boringly, tossing a tennis ball into the air. I heard my mom sigh from the kitchen. It was the morning after my glorious leave from the hospital, and only one thing was on my mind. "I need to see her right now."

I heard my mom toss her spoon onto the counter, glass ringing against medal. "Oh Eden, if you say it one more time, I won't let you go at all!" She had a point. I must have asked at least 14 times now, and I had only gotten up about an hour ago.

"Why won't you let me go?" I mumbled, tossing the tennis ball up again. I snatched it and chucked it at the wall across the room. Thankfully my mom didn't notice. "It's not like I'm going over there just to hang out. I need to ask her something. I'll be back before you know it."

"Oh yeah?" She walked out in front of me. Her eyes were beady, locked with mine, and her hands firmly placed on her hips. This was known to me as her; 'Unwilling Pose'. "Well, it's early in the day, and you're sick. I also think it's rude to give Bella an unexpected visit."

My stomach growled beneath my hands. I patted it lightly, and smiled. "See? I'm not sick, just hungry." Rolling her eyes, she headed back to the kitchen in annoyance. "What if I called her and told her I was coming?" I shouted after her. "It'll only take a minute, I swear! I have to go before Edward comes over!" Of course, I had a lot of questions to ask Bella, and I really had no idea how long it would actually take.

Thankfully, I heard my mother give a groan in defeat. "Eden, I don't see why you should. It's Bella's life, and I think you should leave her alone, for whatever it is you want to ask her." Her mouth quickly shut at her own words. Words, which she was not expecting to say. I sunk lower in the couch, hoping she wouldn't go into detail. "Why _do_ you want to see Bella?"

I felt the thoughts shoot through my mind. She asked the one thing I wished she wouldn't have done. The only good one that came out was; "Science homework?" I had said it more as a question, rather than a statement. I could tell this threw her off a bit more.

"Science homework? You expect me to believe that?" I nodded, shrugging. "Well, I'm not buying it. Now come out here, and eat some eggs." However, I did not hear my mother say these words, and I kept to myself on the couch. She continued to call after me, but I was too busy thinking of what I really _would _ask Bella, without me sounding insane. I was shaking again, every time I thought of it. It wasn't a dream, I know it wasn't. It couldn't have been. Could it?

My mother shouted out to me one more time, ripping off her apron in fury. "I swear, if you don't get out here and eat these eggs, I won't allow you to see _any _of your friends for the rest of the week!" It wasn't very encouraging, because I often didn't do too much with my friends anyways, but I groggily made my way out to the kitchen to please her.

"Did you ever see Danny?" I questioned randomly, while I sat down at the table. She looked over at me in surprise. "When you were signing me out of the hospital, did you see him at all?" My hands shook as I picked up my fork. I tightened my grip to try and stop it.

"No, I didn't," She muttered quickly, taking a seat next to me. "I should have looked though, shouldn't I?" I shrugged, not really knowing the answer to that. Maybe Danny didn't want to see me. "You seem upset, is he mad at you?"

It was as though she read my inner thoughts. "I don't know," I heaved a heavy sigh. "I guess I'm just surprised he didn't try to visit me at all." I regretted my words. I had no right to sound so selfish, no right at all. I was becoming a selfish imbecile. "Dumb, it's dumb to be thinking about it though. He's got a lot on his mind, I'm certain."

I felt my mother's reassuring grin appear from across the table. Confused, I returned it anyways. "Danny likes you, I'm sure of it. I was talking to Marlena however, and apparently they used to go out." The words quickly took me by surprise, and I began to choke on my eggs. Sputtering up a storm, my mother gasped and tried to help me. I wasn't one for unexpected news, I guess. "I said _used to_… I didn't mean to worry you like that!"

Laughing, I shook my head. "I'm not worried mom," I explained, coughing. "It just makes sense now, I guess. They're always so close and relaxed around each other." My heart began to beat quicker, driven with jealousy. Normally I wasn't jealous, and this wave of emotions took me by surprise. "Danny's really sweet, and so is she. They'd be perfect together."

"Well, they're obviously not," I felt her kick me in acknowledgement from under the table. I squeaked, and kicked her back. "Hey, I'm just saying! Why don't you ask him to the dance?"

The suggestion was nice, but I already knew my answer. "I don't intend to get too close to anyone because if I do, we'll have to leave." My gaze shifted down to my empty plate. My mother frowned in unison with me, our hate for moving shared.

Silence.

More silence.

"Maybe you should go to Bella's," She whispered. "I think you need some time out after the hospital." I felt the smile spread across my face, running to my ears. What a certainly good way of changing the topic. Her own mouth couldn't help but smile along with mine. "So go on!" She flailed. "Get out of here!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The door was looming over me, mocking me. It was telling me to go away, that I don't belong here, like I had no business with Bella or the Cullens. Yet, I felt like they had no business with me, and they always seemed to be in my business, as ridiculously stupid as that may sound, of course.

My shaky finger unwillingly pressed the doorbell. I heard a faint ring on the inside, and I waited. Bella quickly appeared from the stairwell. Her face wore a surprised expression, and she slowly pulled open the door. "Eden? Hey, what's… up?"

"Hey Bella," My voice cracked and dug my sweaty palms into my pockets. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second." Her face was still shocked, but I could tell she was okay with me being here. "If you're busy, I understand."

She shrugged, opening the door wider. "No, come in." I nodded in appreciation and hesitantly made my way in. I looked around the house. It was nice, clean, and very homey. I smiled at this. "This is a…" I watched her try and search for the right word. "Surprise. What did you say you wanted to talk about again?"

"Oh, I didn't, actually," This situation was totally awkward, and we both knew it. "It's actually about the Cullens," My heart began to race, I felt like it was going to run away and just leave me dead here. My mind was so confused; it couldn't even take care of the rest of my weak body. "All of the Cullens," I clarified. "Not just one in particular."

Her face became solid, like a statue. She didn't move, not even a shiver. "You want to talk about the Cullens?" I nodded, looking away. "Alright, then," She sighed. "What do you have to ask?"

I nervously took a seat in a chair in the living room, her moving to the couch. I glanced at the clock, and my eyes grew wide to see that it was noon. It surprised me that she was home today, and not out with Edward. It was almost as though Edward _knew_ I was going to come over. "I was in the hospital for a few days…" She nodded. "And I was sort of in a shock trance, because I saw something I didn't exactly… _understand_."

Her lips grew in a straight line. Her hands were sweating and she ran them through her long hair, nodding the whole while. "I didn't want to ask the Cullens," My own voice surprised me. It was low, deep, and curious. "I didn't want to ask them about what I saw, because I was afraid they'll lie to me. You wouldn't lie to me, though, I think." My body shook with regret. "I hope?"

"I won't lie to you," She smiled, but her body still tense. "What did you see?" She managed to choke out. I knew I was putting a lot of pressure on her, but if I didn't get an answer, it would have tortured me.

"I don't know!" My laugh echoed throughout the room. It was quickly over taken by a frown and a wave of sickness. "I don't even _know _what I saw! I was alone, and suddenly he was there, and his eyes were _pitch _black! And the whole while, he was just _looking _at me-"

Bella's brows joined together in frustration. She didn't ask questions. It was clear she had heard this story before. Only, from someone else.

"It was Jasper! Jasper was there, and he looked ghastly! As though he'd been to hell and back, and I was so puzzled, and shaking, and then I looked at his teeth-"

The image shot through my mind like a bullet, but it stayed imprinted. It wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried to replace it. I groaned, grabbing my head, shoving it between my legs. "Please," My moan carried out. "Just tell me what's going on, so I can stop thinking about this! So my weak mind can stop hammering me to find the truth!"

She shook her head, her nails quickly being bitten away by her teeth. "I can't," She groaned. "I know I should, but I feel like I'm not the one who should be telling you the truth about them. I would lie to you and say it was all a dream, and I didn't know what you were talking about, but I can't!" She gasped for air. I watched her with fear. I didn't_ want_ an answer now, I_ needed_ it. "I didn't think I would ever have to tell anyone! I guess the only reason I am telling you, is because I think that's what they would have wanted…" I blinked, confused. "I think that if you were scared of them, they would just want me to tell you something to calm you down."

"You don't have to," I choked, looking at the walls. My poor head was aching, and feeling like it was going to rupture. "I just wish you would." She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I know I'm asking a lot of you, but I can tell that this is necessary."

She nodded, not speaking. Not wanting too, afraid of me knowing some secret. A moment of silent passed, as I tried my best not to pester her. She sighed and brought her head up to face mine. We locked eyes, and I waited. I just waited until she was ready to speak. "The Cullens aren't murderers," She slowly enunciated. "They aren't demons, but they're not… _human_."

I blinked. I waited for her to continue but she didn't. I felt a low and bubbling laugh ooze from my stomach. It began to get louder and louder, until I was nearly weeping of laughter. "Not human?" I spoke through a fit of giggles. "Are you trying to mock me? Is this some joke?"

"It's not a joke," Bella sighed. "It's not a joke. Jasper didn't kill those fisherman, like you think." My mouth snapped shut, and I stared at her surprised. She had heard the story, like I had thought. "It wasn't him. It was one of his _kind_, however." I thought I was dreaming again. Bella's words couldn't have been true. "The Cullens… Well, they're vegetarians. They only kill animals, not humans. They only want peace, they don't want any trouble."

"You never told me what they were," I spoke monotonously. "What they do, yes. Why they do it, no."

"Before I tell you what they are, let me explain. Some of them have special gifts, if you will. Edward… has the ability to," She stopped short, her head shaking back and forth vigorously. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, I just can't."

"Everything is coming out of the bottle now." I didn't blink. I didn't move. I simply stared at the ground. I felt like every part of me was frozen, including my mind, and I could only respond with simple answers. "You might as well."

She nodded, standing up and pacing. "Edward can read minds," She blurted out, her arms waving in frustration. "Alice can see the future, Jasper can make people calm!" I snapped my head up at this. "Insane, yes, I know, but I'm not, I swear, and they're not monsters! So, please, whatever you do, don't be afraid of them!" My legs shot me up from the chair, and I glared at her from behind my messy hair.

"You expect me to believe all of this? Why should I? None of it explains what I saw, and so why should I believe you?" I wanted to break down and cry in aggravation, but I held up. "Why is all of this suddenly happening to me? Tell me what they are, and maybe I'll believe you!"

She howled in anger, grasping her hair, and shouted. "_Vampires! _They're _vampires_! Alice… _saw _you becoming their friend. Why do you think Edward isn't here today? Because he knew you wanted to come over to talk to me!" She heaved, once more searching for air. I however, was losing nearly all of it. "I don't know why they saw it, I didn't ask." I watched her fall back, pathetically onto the sofa. "I can't tell you anymore. I can't…" She covered her eyes with her palms, and sat silent.

A lot of the time, when I read Bram Stroker, I imagined being a vampire. I imagined what blood tasted like. I wondered what humans smelled like. And after pondering, I laughed at myself. I laughed because I knew it was stupid, and that I was in a fantasy world.

I told myself it could never happen. That's what everyone does. And what happens, is that we continue to tell ourselves, over and over again, that we soon believe it to be true.

Bella's words took my by shock. Any sane person, any person who lived outside of the pages of Bram, would shrug it off and laugh as they have so many other times, at the idea of real vampires. I stood, however, feeling in my mind and in my heart that it was true. It was a rare moment, when one of those feelings happened. When you simply knew something to be true, without seeing it.

I wanted to cry, rather than laugh. Everything I had once said about vampires rang into my mind. How they were immoral, how they killed for pleasure, but also how they couldn't help it. How my heart went out to them in all their loneliness.

And while I stood there, the image of Jasper, the first time I saw him came into my mind. He stood, so poised and elegant. Thinking of this image didn't scare me anymore. Instead of fear, my feelings were replaced by sorrow. He was nervous, and far away from me. Now I knew why. He didn't want to get near me, in the fear that he might hurt me. I groaned, realizing how much wrong I had thought about that family. Yet, something in me told me not to feel pity. Without the cruel thoughts, I wouldn't be suffering for them now, and I wouldn't know the truth.

"Eden?" Bella's gentle voice whispered out to me. "Eden, are you alright?"

I shook my head, a frown planted on my face. "No," I murmured, slowly headed for the door. She stared after me, mute. "I'm going to go now. It was nice talking to you." Pulling open the door, I slowly made my way down the sidewalk. I didn't know where I was going, but I felt like I did.

It reminded me of my dream. My legs were taking me somewhere, but my mind was somewhere else. As I continued to run, I headed into the wilderness, pushing past trees as though they were just simple students in a hallway. Walking over rocks and roots, as though they were just clothes on a bedroom floor. I never looked at what was going on around me. I never really had any interest.

My legs suddenly stopped in a clearing of the trees. There was a heavy morning mist flowing around and through the trunks, and I was trapped in the middle of it. Just like I was trapped in the middle of everything else. My mind snapped me back into reality, and I began to notice how cold it was. I moaned, and drug my tired feet over to a tree.

I leaned my back against it, and shut my eyes, trying to grasp all the sense in the world. I wanted to know what it felt like to be living in a world where everything was no surprise, but I just couldn't. My eyes shut, and they began to sting with the feeling of new, salty tears. The droplets rushed down my face, desperate to run away as much as I was. I felt my hands clench at my sides, wanting to hurt someone, wanting to release all of the agony I felt in me, on someone innocent. And I didn't care that I had this thought, because I had it, and it was there, and it wouldn't go away. I wished I would have figured it out on my own, if anything, so I wouldn't feel so stupid. I could feel the mist trickling down my fair, feeling like tears. I raised a hand to my cheek, and whipped it off. I kept trying to calm down, telling myself that they were good 'people', but I couldn't stop being afraid.

"I'm sorry."

I screamed, and spun around. Seeing nothing, I shook in my shoes and turned around another way. No one was there. My chest was shaking harder and harder, and my arms tightened around it, trying to stop. I felt my long, dark hair wrap around my face, clinging to me, as though it were scared too. "What do you want from me?" I cried, desperately at the top of my lungs. "Do you want me to suffer anymore? Whoever it is, just come out and speak to me! Stop trying to scare me, I've had enough scares!" Not a movement. "Come out, you coward!"

A twig behind me snapped. As I spun on my heels, I saw that it was who I expected it to be. He was standing, so tall, so gentle. He wasn't shaking, he just looked _calm_. I could feel the pain on his face, however, identical to mine. Jasper hadn't done anything wrong, but he was scared for himself, and for me. "I didn't want to hurt you," He choked, water lines forming at the bottom of his beautiful eyes. I stared at him, blankly. "I just didn't know how I would tell you, unless you knew. What you saw in the woods the other day-" He began to shake his head, his eyes shut. Scared. His voice was so angelic, twisting through the trees and ringing in my ears.

"Bella explained already," I said, stepping closer to him. I wanted him to be calm now, I wanted to protect him. "You're fine…" He continued to stand still, but his eyes growing wider. "Y-you're okay, Jasper. I'm not hurt. You didn't do anything wrong."

I reached out for him, although I knew I shouldn't. Everything else was erased from my mind. Bella, Alice, Emmett, Danny, Mom, everyone and everything besides what was going on now. I wanted him to speak again. I couldn't deny adoring his character and his language. I knew he loved Alice. It was more visible than anything else, the way they looked at one another, as though they were sharing thoughts of passion in their heads. "Jasper, you-"

"I have to warn you, don't come near me," He shook his head, and backed away from me. "Sometimes I just can't control it, I just can't control my hunger for you, and it happens even when I'm not hungry." I wasn't paying attention. I just wanted to be closer to him. My feet brought me closer to him. "Like that, please stop!" He grabbed his head, and quickly sat on a trunk, breathing heavily.

Hesitantly, I backed away. His chest was heaving up and down. His foot was tapping the ground nervously. I wanted to know what he was thinking more than anything. "Bella told me some things," I confessed. "Not the whole story, however." Although, I was changing the topic, his words were still in my mind. "I need more answers, Jasper." He looked at me, his liquid gold eyes ablaze. "Help me understand…"

He nodded.

"I'm not going to say that I'm not afraid of you," I confessed, staring down at him. He frowned, staring forward. "I just don't know if this confusion I'm having anymore is worth it." Once more, he nodded, his hands dropping from his head.

He looked up at me, breathing heavily still, but slower. His eyes glistened, fog swirling around his face. I winced, turning my dull face away from the beauty of his.

I should have told mom two hours.

(This is a song I decided to dedicate to my pairing of Jasper/Eden.  Really listen to the lyrics to get a feel of the whole Jasper/Eden thing. .com/watch?v=R96bFLWdB0o Muse is God. Remember that.)


	17. Ch14 Beautiful Teacher

Chapter 14:

A Teacher

Sometimes, when I'm thinking really hard, or if I'm frustrated, I like to imagine a guitar. Just a simple, acoustic guitar, ringing in my head. I like to hum along with a tune I've never heard before, because it calms me, and I know that it's not real, but I pretend it's really there playing, because it works.

I was standing next to Jasper, however nowhere near close to him out of fear, and I was waiting for him to speak to me. I had asked him to tell me detail about what was going on, and he nodded as though he would. Now I had been waiting for at least five minutes, and he hadn't spoken a word. The nerves in me began to make me feel feeble again, and I shut my eyes and began to hum.

He turned his head up to me, frowning. "What are you doing?" He mumbled, twisting his hands together in his lap. I ignored him, and continued to hum along. The tune was slow and soft, which meant I was incredibly nervous. "Eden, why are you humming?"

Grumbling, I snapped my eyes open and glared at him. "It keeps me calm. I don't see you saying anything, so why can't I hum?" His expression of nothingness made me angry and I furiously turned away from him and began to walk. "I'm not in the mood for this," I hissed under my breath.

I knew that I needed an answer to this situation from a Cullen, but maybe I could go and ask someone else. Jasper wasn't being cooperative today. "Stop, Eden, wait." I flapped a hand at him and continued to walk. Before I knew it, he was in front of my pathway, blocking me in a flash. I screamed and wrapped my arms tighter around me. "Don't be scared. I'm just thinking."

"You've certainly had a lot of time to think about this," I backed up from him. "You knew I was in the hospital. You knew I was scared, and would ask you about it, so why didn't you start thinking of answers?"

"That's just not how I do it," He smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets. I raised a brow at him, scoffing. I wanted him to see my annoyance. "I need to think about what to say, without _scaring_ you." His eyes and head both drooped down to the moist forest floor. "I don't want you to be afraid."

I winced, wanting his sadness to disappear, and sat down on the stump he was sitting on earlier. He looked up and smiled, now that I was agreeing to be cooperative. "You're a little late on that one." He nodded, knowing. "I don't think that anything you can say can frighten me anymore."

"Alright," He sighed, leaning against a tree. I looked over at him vaguely. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his thick veins ran down his arms. He was so well built. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. God knows how much time he's had to get in shape.

A small smile was plastered on his face as he kicked a stick in my direction. "Indestructible," He nodded, his words blunt. "I and Emmett are nearly imperishable." I couldn't help but to smile a little. "Excuse me if I'm sounding shallow."

I sighed, playing with my hands in my lap. His beautiful vocabulary made me smile. "No," My gaze shifted to my fingers, curling around one another. My mind pretended that it was someone else holding my hands. "You have every right to toot your own horn." I jumped as he gave a loud, unexpected laugh at this. I felt like all the coldness that had clung to me, had suddenly melted away, all because of his trouble-free, warming, laugh. It struck me that I hadn't laughed in a while.

He smiled towards me, an extraordinarily open smile. My stomach jerked me upwards, and I stood, staring at him. My mouth kept trying to return the grin, but nothing happened. His smile instantly faded and he backed up further into the tree. "Eden…"

The voice came at me like a whip, and I blinked almost instantly, snapping out of my phase. "Oh!" I gasped, clutching a hand to my chest and walking into the center of the clearing. "I'm sorry. I guess… I guess your laugh just surprised me." I put on a miniature beam. "I didn't mean to make you all tense."

He never returned the small smile I gave him. "I'm always nervous around you," His malleable voice, hung in the air like silk drapes. I shut my eyes, turning my back to him. Wrapping my arms around myself, I shivered in the cold. "Edward's very fast, you know. We're all swift, but he's just naturally quicker than all of us."

"Oh." Was all I could manage to squeak out, still embarrassed by my last move.

He sighed. I heard the crinkling of leaves from underneath his quiet feet come closer behind me. I shook more, as the sound grew louder. "Eden," he murmured. I turned to see him standing feet away, with his hand in the air, one finger pointed at me. I watched him carefully as his colorless finger traced the outline of my body. "Are you cold?"

Watching him with these delicate moves, seemed illusory to me. I kept telling myself; 'This isn't like him. He can't possibly be that fascinated by me.' I tried to shove the thought in my mind, and then it struck me. I didn't know a _thing _about Jasper Hale. I nodded, weakly, finally answering his question. He dropped his hand. Why would he ask? He had no jacket to offer me. How was he not freezing?

"I'm not aware to temperature changes," He smirked, as though reading my mind. "It's like that for all of us. We're always wintry." I shivered at the word, rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

"Bella said something about you being able to make people calm?" The words sounded almost foreign to me, completely unreal. "Are you doing it to me right now?"

He shook his head. "I think you're decently calm, Eden. Besides, you would know if it was me doing it." He flashed another smile. His bright white fangs glinted quickly, before I turned to look away. I noticed them more, now that I knew they were there.

"Why are you all so beautiful?" I murmured, quietly, hoping he wouldn't here. He did however, but he never answered. I faced him again, and was surprised to find his expression sad. "You're all like a painting. If I were to walk into a museum, and see a sketch of you- of _any _of you…Well, I think they would have to kick me out for looking at it too long."

"It's just how it is. Everyone becomes like this after turning over to immortal life-"

_Immortal._ I'd always hated that word, and I hated it even more then. I envied for someone who could watch the world change, but never quite change themselves. Jasper, as well as all of the Cullens had it. "Stop." My voice sounded bitter and unsympathetic, between my clenched teeth. His eyes snapped open with caution. "Don't use that word," I grumbled. "I hate it. I hate having to think of you living on this earth forever. Watching people die… Watching your friends pass. I hate to imagine you in grief."

His head shook riotously back and forth. "No, no, we don't really have any mortal friends besides Bella and you, of course. It's because we know the peril it can bring to them. We knew what we'd be risking for ourselves and for them."

_Fury._ Fury rushed into my blood. It made my skin tingle, my legs shake, and my head feeling light, my heart pumping speedily. "You… you don't want to risk someone's _life_, because it's dangerous…?" I howled a rage in anger, snatching him by the shoulders, completely oblivious to his warnings, and shaking him like mad. "_Yet you dare come to ruin mine_?!"

His eyes turn a grave black. His arm swung around him his side, sending me flying, hitting a tree roughly with my back and letting me sink to the cold ground. His anger never disappeared from his heaving body and his scrunched face. "You have no _idea _Eden! You have no understanding of _anything_! Alice saw you! She saw you, and so did I! I saw you, and I wanted to protect you!" A low, menacing growl escaped his lips. I shut my eyes, trying to tell myself it was a dream.

I weakly placed a hand to the back of my head. Thankfully, I wasn't bleeding. It would have been the end of me, if I would have brought back red on my hand. A groan escaped my lips. "I hate you." I felt stab in me, when I said those words, even though they were clearly not true. A salty tear trickled down my face, and my shaky hand pointed for another clearing in the trees. "Leave me alone. Just… just go _away_."

My legs and arms felt limp, and I didn't want to move. So, I didn't. His sluggish feet came closer to me, and I moaned in agony. "Please," my voice begged. "Just stay away from me. You won't be able to handle it anyways." I cracked open my eyes to see him crouched down, beside me, the closest he'd ever been.

"Alice said she never saw me hurting you," his voice murmured so fast, I hardly even caught his words. "Things change based on people's decisions." His voice was much calmer and much more audible now. "I won't change what she saw."

I felt like he was going to do something dumb. "Don't touch me," I quickly smacked his approaching hand away from my leg.

He continued to move his hand underneath my sore leg. I winced as he lifted it off the ground. However, I didn't protest. He was touching me, and I didn't want that feeling to go away so fast. I felt his strong other arm wrap around my back, and before I knew it, I was him his arm, cradled like a small child. I focused my gaze on his face. He shook, keeping his eyes shut. I could hear hardly any sign of breathing from him. He was trying to block out the smell. "This is hard for you," I sighed. "So just put me down. I'll be okay. It just hurts a little."

"I threw you against a tree, Eden," he choked.

"Yeah, and I grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you about. So, we're pretty much even from my point of view."

"This is really hard for me," he gasped. "So if you could please just stop talking." I snapped my mouth shut, nodding. He grinned, and finally cracked open his beautiful eyes. They were no longer black, but a darker shade of topaz. "Hold onto my neck."

I shook my head. "Hold onto it, Eden," He demanded. I shook my head even more this time, protesting. "Do you want to go flying against another tree?" My eyes grew wide, and almost robotically, I wrapped my arms around his ice-cold neck. I could tell this made it even harder for him. "Alright, hold on."

I felt his legs from underneath me, literally blast off from the ground, launching us forward. It was like he was running; only it was faster than normal. His expression also kept very tranquil as we slid in between trees with smooth moves, as though he wasn't paying full attention to what he was doing.

My gaze wasn't on him, however, but rather on the sights around me. I watched as trees and tiny creatures whizzed past me, my long hair brushing them lightly. The faster we got, the more I loved it. The more we ran, the more I wanted to have him let go of me, so I could run by myself.

"It's none of us," I heard him speak peacefully as we continued to run. "Us Cullens, no, we're not the killers of those fishermen. But, it wasn't an animal either."

Breaking the rules, I began to talk to him. "I knew it wasn't an animal attack. I didn't know if it was you or not. Your teeth were just covered in red, and you were a complete _mess_, that I would have easily thought…"

He nodded, giving a heavy sigh. "Anyone would have thought the same. I was hunting that night. Animals, though. I swear to you, Eden." I felt my upper lip curl back into a smile of relief. "There are… more, though."

"More?" The sound of that word made me want to scream in fear. "What do you mean, 'more'?"

Suddenly, through the trees, I began to see the street, and then the cars, and then the houses. Jasper quickly halted to a stop, my stomach now gaining a sense of sickness that I was hoping I wouldn't get out of that. "Other families. It's very rare to find whole vampire families. Most vampires travel alone, or with a mate. Some are smarter than others, and some are stronger." I nodded, clutching my stomach.

"What are you getting at?" My voice said rapidly, not wanting to vomit.

He sighed, trying to fix his hair. Right before I was about to shout his name, to remind him where he was, he spoke up. "There's someone else out there."


	18. Ch15 Tracker

Chapter Fifteen:

Tracker.

"What do you mean?" I choked, catching my breath. "Someone else it out there?" He nodded, his eyes grave. My mind suddenly picked up on what he meant. "You mean another vampire… someone who isn't a Cullen."

An amused grin spread across his face. "There are other vampires out there than us. There are hundreds of them, crawling around, acting like one of you. It's just that we're not the only one in Forks right now."

His words sent a shiver up my spine. I wryly met his eyes. "I bet Emily Stern was a vampire," I nodded, dead serious. He sent a warm laugh through the air.

"Who is Emily Stern?"

"She went to my old school," I grimaced. "She was just always really pretty and weird."

He sent out another bemused laugh as I shivered in the cold. "Are you suggesting that all vampires are bizarre?" We exchanged smiles. "The fact of that matter is, is that there is another one of us here, and we haven't exactly figured out who it is, or why."

I suddenly felt like I was a part of something. Jasper couldn't be telling me these things, if he didn't want me to know, right? It was either that notion, or I was in danger. "Who is it? Is he the murderer of those innocent fishers?"

"_She_," he corrected me with a frown. "Thankfully, there's only one that we know of at the moment." I felt something crawling up my back, and smacking at it, I realized I was just shaking. "We've only seen her around the woods. Carlisle is hoping we can get a chance to talk to her, but I'm not sure."

"Talk to her?" I gasped. "Why would you want to talk to her? She's a killer!"

His statue-like face twisted into pain. "Eden, I don't know if Bella filled you in on this, but not many vampires are… _vegetarians_. When I say 'not many', I mean very little." There was a long silence in the air. "Not to mention that I'm not really accustomed to _not _wanting human blood either." His golden eyes darted away from me.

I felt myself backing away from him. "You really aren't good at this stuff, are you?"

He sighed, as in defeat. "No, I'm not. It's a lot harder than it seems." I nodded, trying my best to understand. I did feel bad for him. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like- to be ripped away from your normal life, to be given such a hardship as being a vampire. "Alice makes everything worthwhile however," I heard him gush silently.

A small smile spread to my face, and I blushed even though it was not my compliment. "You really love her," I stated, knowing. I didn't even need to ask. He simply nodded, his gaze still straying far from mine. "I do need to know one thing," I murmured.

"Yes?"

"I'm not in any danger, am I?" The sound and thought of it worried me. How could I be? Besides the Cullens, and the mysterious killer, there were no other vampires in Forks. "Maybe it's a dumb question, but I do worry about my mother's safety if someone were after me."

An adorable half-smile appeared on his face as he shook his head. "No, you're not in any danger. The woman only stays near the river, of what we've noticed. She has no inclination as to who you are. Alice doesn't suspect she'd make her way near the town at all, unless something really stirred her to come."

"Like what?"

He shrugged casually, lowering my nerves. "If she would smell something she wanted. Sometimes we smell people's blood that we just… _want_." I was surprised to see him glance down at me quickly, and then look away.

"Is it like that for you? With me?" For some reason, I felt arrogant saying this. I didn't want it to come out that way, not at all. I just wanted some reassurance, so I wouldn't have to keep wondering about it. None the less, it was very bold of someone of my character to say.

He nodded, staying silent. Suddenly, I caught sight of something, and I screamed in revulsion and astonish. He looked over at me with worry. "What? What is it?"

"Your arms!" I breathed, gasping for air. "Your arms! What happened to them?" I felt my shaking hands cover my mouth, as I turned away from the sight of them. "How couldn't I have noticed that _before_?" I shook.

"Eden," He sighed, slipping his shirt sleeves down. However, through his thin shirt, I could still see the raised scars. "I'm sorry. I didn't even realize that they were down." I shut my eyes, shuddering. "You don't need to worry. I'm quite alright."

"What _happened_?" I winced, facing him again. "I understand that vampires have to… _bite _one another in order to transform, but…" I found it hard to breathe. "Jasper, you're ravaged." I heard myself squeak in fear. "How could this happen?"

A loud crack of thunder stopped him from answering. "You should get home," He squinted his eyes and stared up at the black clouds above. "I would walk you, but I fear your mother's reaction."

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "You know her already." He gave a curt nod, and a matching smile. "I guess we'll have more time for stories, later?" He wasn't going to get very far without telling me something.

"Yes," He quickly agreed. "Oh, and Eden? Just put aside all of my comments on the woman. If you were in any danger, you know we would protect you." The words soothed me. "Just be fair to us, and try to stay clear of going to the beach."

"You've got it," I smiled indisputably. "No beaches for me."

Without a wave, or a farewell bye, he flashed a quick grin, and ran off at lightning speed. I stood for a moment, bewildered. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to tell myself I was dreaming. My mind was tired of those games. My gaze shifted back to where Jasper had run off, and of course, I saw nothing but the flying of leaves and the swaying of branches.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Glaring, I continued to shake my head. Alice frowned and waved me over, for the hundredth time. Jasper gave her a light smile, and shrugged at me. Getting annoyed, I mouthed the word; 'No.'

"Just go sit with them," Marlena shrugged, shoving food in her mouth. "They obviously want you to go over there." I could hear the hint of jealousy.

It was Thursday, 3 days since Jasper and I met in the woods. All week at school Alice tried to get me to spend time with her and her siblings during lunch, but I kindly declined the offer. Now, I felt like she would honestly pick me up and carry me to her table. "Clearly they want to talk to you," Danny said, scratching his stitches. "I think you should go."

_You would_. I thought angrily in my head. Ever since the day of the incident, Danny had been so rude to me. He didn't even glance at me, and when he did, it was nothing less than a glare. However, I would rather sit with him, than the entire Cullen family.

And I had good reason for it too. Shall I list them off here?

Rosalie pretty much despised me in every way possible, and for what, I hadn't come to a conclusion.

Jasper and I were a little iffy, and I preferred to talk to him by myself or with Alice.

Bella and I were very awkward around each other after I went to visit her. We didn't really know what to say. Hopefully, that would clear up.

Edward… Was just Edward. He wouldn't make conversation, as he was too busy staring at his Bella

Emmett. Emmett, the one who I hoped to be my good friend here in Forks. Then I was stupid and told him to go away. Stupid, stupid me.

Alice would try to resolve everyone's problems with me. And things would just end up in another mess.

"Do you think Alice is going to come over here?" Marlena squirmed uneasily in her chair. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm not ready for that kind of attention yet. I can't have people staring at me."

"You're being silly," I shrugged. "I want to sit with you." Danny shot me an evil glare. "I mean it!" I snapped angrily at him. "You know, me wanting to sit with you, and you not wanting to sit with me are two completely different stories."

His eyes burned into mine behind his square glasses. I stared back, wanting to win this glower. "What makes you think I don't want sit with you?" He flashed a smile of competitiveness. "You know how much we_ love_ having you here." He jerked his thumb towards the Cullen table.

Marlena frowned at him, slowly setting her juice on the table. "Danny, I don't know what your problem is, and I know you're not PMS-ing, so really, whatever you deal is, just cool it." Her voice began to sting with fortification for my feelings. I grunted and pull my eyes away from his scowl.

What seemed like a growl escaped Danny's lips, and he furiously marched off towards another table. "Oh my god," I groaned, shoving my face in my palms. "I really, have no idea what I did to him." Sighing, I raised my head. Alice frantically waved me over to the seat beside her, but I ignored the gesture.

"He was going to ask you to the dance," She shrugged, finishing off her sandwich. "I don't know what changed his mind suddenly, but he seems like _really _mad. He could be jealous of the Cullens, you know."

My face grew hot. "He was going to ask me to the dance?" I gushed, smiling widely. "Well, that's a nice surprise." Suddenly, I got a punch to the face. "He doesn't want to take me anymore." I frowned, dissatisfied.

"Oh, no, I don't think that's true. I just think you don't want to go with him." She scratched her chin, trying to gather up some more memories. "Even if you think you do, I don't think you want to get close to people around here, and you just haven't realized it."

My gaze instantly shifted towards Emmett. He sat, stroking Rosalie's hair. I smirked at the sight, knowing they forgave each other instantly. Even if his words were harsh, I could tell she couldn't stray too far from his heart. "Yeah, you're right." I frowned, and idea coming to mind. "What if I asked him? Do you think he'd be mad at me?"

She scoffed, beaming widely. "No way! He really likes you, but doesn't think you like him back, so just go drop a few hints." She nudged me, childishly. "Flirt a little bit."

The bell rang, and we left, laughing, but I couldn't help to feel like I was making the wrong choice.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Talk to me!" I heard her beg behind me. I shook my head, and hugged my books closer to my chest. "Don't think I'll give up." I could feel her gorgeous smile just growing behind me.

I spun around, smiling faintly. "I know you won't, Alice."

"Good!" She smiled, blossoming into a smile that every girl would be envious of. "Then why do you keep ignoring me in the first place?" She winked. "Not that I didn't know it was coming, but I had to at least _pretend_."

I snickered, rolling my eyes playfully. "So you've been keeping an eye out for me, have you? Well, don't bother. Jasper clearly stated that I wasn't in any danger anyways." I paused, glancing over at her. "Right? I mean, there's no trouble brewing?"

She nodded, pushing me towards her car. "We met up with her. Her name's Gemma." Gemma. The name itself sent undying shivers up my spine. "She's very well rounded, and very polite. She has fair hair, and a pretty smile."

"She doesn't sound too dangerous to me then," I lied. Alice could obviously see by my shaking that I was scared out of my wits.

"The dangers of a vampire all depend on what and how they kill." No one was paying much attention to us, and luckily no one caught what she said. "Oh, Eden! You're shaking! You just said that you weren't scared!"

Squeaking, I managing to choke out my explanation. "Just the fact that there really is another vampire in such a small town, worries me. Not to mention that I'm hanging out with a group of vampires, myself." I coughed, as we were getting closer to her car. "That's all."

A fair grin appeared on her fairy-like face. "You know we're here to protect you, and be your friends!" She winked, but I knew she was serious. "So, don't worry about it! You know, I don't know what it is," she smiled, shaking her head back and forth. "but we all knew that you just _had _to join the crew. Friend, or family. You just had to be there. We'll probably find out eventually why my visions decided to keep you around."

Blocking out everything she said, I focused on what was happening at that moment. "Why are you taking me to your car?" I exclaimed as I stood in front of the back door. "I'm not going anywhere, I have to get home."She squinted her eyes up towards the sky. I followed her move, and we both glanced up at the dark and taunting clouds with amused eyes. "What?" I shrugged. "It's going to storm like it does every day. I have a car, you know."

"I know," She nodded, pointing in its direction, as I watched it pull away. "Emmett's taking it back to your place. You're coming with us." As she pulled open the door to the back seat, I glared at her.

"I'm not going anywhere! I have to tell my mom, and-"

Alice flapped her hand. "Emmett's doing that for you. Don't worry about it!"

Her fierce, yet delicate hand shoved me towards the back seat. Groaning, I hoped inside. I knew there was really no other choice. "Everyone besides you is mad or confused with me. I don't think this a good idea, Alice. You're just asking for trouble." Under my breath, I whispered. "Especially with Rosalie."

"Rosalie will be fine," a voice chuckled behind me. I screamed instantly, and spun around to see Edward, his hand in Bella's. "Not to mention, _I'm_ not upset with you, Eden."

I shot a nasty glance towards Alice in the front seat, and jumped to see Jasper suddenly next to her. He looked back, smiling. "I don't believe you! What did I do to deserve this punishment anyways?" I grumbled, slumping further in my seat.

"It's not a punishment!" Alice whined.

"Then what is it?"

Everyone in the car exchanged smirks. I sat, glowering at them, waiting for an answer. Jasper leaned back, his movie-star good looks making me lose my breath. _Someone as dull as me shouldn't deserve your glance._ I heard Edward chuckle from the back seat, and I knew he was reading my thoughts, and my frown was even more accentuated. "Does Eden not like sports?" Jasper teased.

"Sports?" I grinned. "You expect me to be good at sports? Yeah, sure, maybe if they were baseball or horseback riding!"

"Well, that's certainly good!" Alice bounced in her seat as she backed out of the school parking lot. "Because we're going to do just that very thing! It's such a perfect day for it." Edward, Bella and Jasper all nodded in agreement. "We have to take advantage of it."

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. "How can you possibly play sports in this weather? And what do you mean advantage?" Grabbing my head, I shifted my attention towards the rain streaked windows. "You're not making any sense. I don't even know what sport you're talking about."

"Baseball!" Edward laughed, slapping the back of my seat. "We're going to play baseball!"


	19. Ch16 Danger Game

Chapter Sixteen:

Danger Game.

It was my turn up to bat. We had been playing for nearly an hour now, and the storm raged on. No rain fell, and as I gripped the bat tighter in my frozen palms, I longed for one drop of rain to let loose from the sky. I found myself wanting to run in it, feel its touch on my soft body, it's smoothness matching mine.

Everyone around me, my family, and my friends, we all had certain equality about us. Our skin tone matched the next, and our eyes that withstood the end of time. Sometimes, I knew that we wanted to die. Every once and a while, one of us would think about it, think about it quietly to ourselves and then push it in the back of our minds. We knew it could never happen. We were too strong as a family, as friends.

The fair girl in the outfield, stood, staring up at the sky. Her long, glossy hair was twisting in the wind, and I begged for her eyes to stay where they were. When she looked at me, all sense of immortal that I had within vanished. I wanted to be her companion, someone she could talk to normally, someone who could be her friend. The spot in my chest where a beating heart used to lay, felt renewed when I looked at her. Not in the same way as when I looked at my Alice, but in a way that I knew I would never understand.

She could feel the rain. She could really _feel_ it and _touch_ it and _taste it. _Jealousy grew in my veins, knowing how wonderful it could feel to her, and not to me. My legs would take me out in the rain whenever they could, but I knew I could never feel such a wonder as the water dripping from the sky as she could.

I knew the ball was coming towards me. In my eyes, it came at me so slow, that I could look around me and see what was going on. Her rich eyes met mine, and she flashed such a warming smile. I wanted to preserve this face forever. I wanted to savior it's beauty and elegance for the entire world to see until it's dying day. I wanted her to be a part of our family, as horrible and selfish as it sounded. She had her own family. Yet, I still wanted Eden to be immortal.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It must have been an hour now, an hour of throwing and catching balls. The whole thing entranced me, and I even confessed to myself that I was glad Alice brought me over to the woods to watch such an exciting game.

My eyes glanced up at the storming clouds, and it's fury. It never rained, however. Just lightning and thunder, and in my mind I found it peaceful. The rain felt cool against my warm skin, and the way it closed around me gave me a sense of comfort that would never go away. One thing I would miss, if I happened to be immortal, would be the rain. If I had to choose between the two, the tiny droplets of water from the sky would be my first choice.

My legs shook with excitement, as I waited for Jasper to hit the ball. I knew it was pointless of me to even be in the outfield, with team mates who ran so incredibly fast. Edward, especially. Sometimes I wished they were human, so they could see how good I was at baseball. My luck, though, right?

As I turned my head away from the sky, Jasper's eyes locked with mine. I gave a brief smile, and shifted my gaze away. Rosalie hadn't said a word, and neither had Emmett. I needed to talk to him alone, so he could just understand my reasoning for what I had said. It was wrong of me to come here, since I had told him that I didn't want to be with him, or his family ever again.

Thoughts of my mother startled me as Jasper swung the bat, and the ball went flying. I stood, rooted to the ground as Emmett and Edward leaped into the air for it. To me, it looked like a bear and a lion fighting for a fish. I chuckled at this foolish thought.

What would my mother do, if she saw this? Would she react the same, accepting it with hesitancy as I did? Or would she think of me as a traitor for having such a wonderful time with a family that wasn't even mine?

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Once the game was over, I knew I needed to talk to Emmett, whether Rosalie liked it or not. I made my way across the field, smiling, and enthralled as ever. "That was so incredible!" I gasped to Carlisle, who flashed a charming smile back. "What would I have done if I would have seen that without any explanation?" He laughed at this.

"I'm very glad you could come, Eden," Esme wrapped her arm through his, making me blush with another motherly smile. Their youth and beauty mocked me, but I ignored it and nodded to Carlisle's comment. "Sorry you didn't get to play much."

I shook my head, my mind in a fluster. "I'm glad, actually! I would have much rather watch it than play any day." Something stirred inside me, and I wanted to play again. I wanted to watch and admire them for their talent. Some other time, maybe.

Alice shouted in happiness, throwing off her hat with excitement. "What a rush!" She laughed, twirling around like a dancer. "I think my pitching was very smooth in that round." She lovingly ruffled Jasper's hair. "What do you think, Jasper?"

"You know your pitching is always a marvel to us all," He soothingly responded, stroking her hair. "Yet, I think my _batting _was slightly better." She gasped, playfully slapping him on the arm, and rushed off to dance with Bella in the field. I couldn't suppress my grin.

"Maybe your batting would have been a little bit better if we hadn't caught the ball!" Emmett laughed, fiercely throwing the ball at his brother. He caught it swiftly. "Might want to work on that, bro. Needs a little work."

I shrugged, still beaming. "I thought all of it was incredible. You're all so talented." Everyone smiled at me, including Emmett. "I think it's obvious that I would pay to watch that, any day, any price."

"How sweet of you Eden," Esme cooed, her beautiful teeth flashing at me. I guess I hadn't really noticed before, but they didn't really have fangs. My mind had been playing tricks on me. Their teeth looked slightly sharper, but no classic fangs.

Rosalie grunted, her dainty finger displayed up at the sky. "Shouldn't we get going? The sun's about to come out, and I'm hung-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Alice burst in the circle of people. She has shaking and her eyes were looking about wildly. Her voice came out nervous and demanding towards Carlisle. "We have to go." She shot a glance towards me, quickly. "All of us, we all have to go."

Jasper slowly grasped her hand, calming her down. She sighed and I could tell his power was working. "Someone needs to drive Eden home. Now." My eyes grew wide. Alice must have seen something, a vision. A vision including me.

"I'm in danger, aren't I?" I angrily snapped, backing away from them. "I knew this was a bad idea! Why couldn't you let me go home?"

Everyone was nervous, and packing up with much haste. I watched Edward and Bella swiftly walk towards their car with Esme and Rosalie. Alice groaned, talking very quickly. "You're not in any danger. I promise to you, Eden, you're not. You have to go home, though. Emmett will take you." Emmett's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Yes, Emmett will take you!" She quickly grapsed Jasper's arm and pulled him away from Emmett, Carlisle and I. I watched them. Alice was talked quickly, her arms waving and pointing towards the water below. A chill went up my spine.

Edward walked over to us, his face into a frown. "Esme and Rosalie are taking Bella home, Carlisle." His worried eyes shot over to me. "I think Emmett should take Eden home."

"Why?" I groaned, throwing my hands up. "What is going on? I don't understand!" Emmett's muscular hands gripped the top of my arm, and began to drag me over to his car. "Hey!" I shrieked, hitting at him. I looked back to see Alice jump in the car with the other girls. Carlisle, Jasper and Edward rushed off into the forest in a blur. "Let go of me! Get off!" Emmett rolled his eyes and roughly opened the back door to the car. "I'm not getting in until you tell me what's going on!"

"How should I know what's going on!?" Emmett grunted, crossing his arms across his chest. "All I know is that you need to get in the car, and I need to take you home. So just… do it, Eden!" His big hands shoved me into my seat.

I was laughing when he got in the car. He glared back at me. "You can honestly expect me to believe that I'm not in any danger?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's a lie," I cursed to myself, looking outside the window as he drove the car down the mountain. "That's just a giant lie, and there's no way that I'm not going to stop pestering Alice about it."

Emmett grunted loudly, banging his hands on the steering wheel. My eyes grew wide in surprise, and I pushed myself further against the seat. "Will you just be quiet, Eden?" He hissed. "You never seem to shut up!" I blinked in surprise. He was right. "You know, I don't even know why you're _here_! I've been wondering about it all day! You're the one who said you didn't want to be friends with me, or any of my family anymore!"

I deserved his wrath. I deserved it all. "Yeah, well, it's not like I really had a choice," I snapped. "You're the one's who made me come here. You're the one who dropped my car off at my mom's house, and made me come up here!"

"Oh, well, maybe you should get to your car faster," He smirked. I could still feel the anger on his marble face. "It's not my problem that you're slow."

"And it's not fair that you're fast!" I complained, kicking his seat. A low growl escaped his throat. "You know, I liked you better than everyone, Emmett. You're the one who accepted me for being stupid, clumsy mortal, and treated me normally! I was just so afraid of what I saw that day in the woods with Jasper, that I just wanted to forget everything!" He was silent, his heavy breathing escaping through his flared nostrils. "I have nothing against you, at all Emmett! I was just scared, alright? I'm sorry, but that's a very common human emotion."

Emmett slammed down on the break as we were just coming out of the forest. I flew against the seat in front of me, groaning. "Maybe you need to confront me about these things earlier," He mumbled. "So I can stop being mad at you. Not much happens in my life, and if there's something that I think is important, then I want to know what's going on with it."

"You think I'm… No," I sighed, shutting my eyes. "I'm not important Emmett. Alice just invited me to play baseball today. I'm here, and I'm unimportant. What do I have to give any of you?"

Emmett chuckled quickly to himself. "You don't get it, do you Eden? You don't get Alice's vision at _all_." My brows creased together in confusion. "Alice didn't just see you being our friend. She just didn't want to freak you out."

My heart began to ring inside my ears. I could feel it pumping in my fingers, and I felt like I was going to vomit. "You're not going to say, what I think you are, are you Emmett?" He glanced back at me, frowning. "Oh, Emmett," I shook my head wildly about. "Just, don't bother saying it, okay?"

"I think you need to hear it."

"No, I don't!" I wailed, burying my face in my hands. "I already know what you're going to say, and I certainly don't want to hear it!"

"Eden," He clasped his hand over my knee. "Eden, you have to understand something. Alice probably wanted to tell you herself, but I think since we're already on the topic, I might as well just keep it going." I shook my head, furiously, not wanting him to speak. "Eden, _yes_, she saw you becoming one of us."

"_Shut up!_" I yelled, reaching for the door handle. I yanked at it, and yanked at it, and it wouldn't budge. "_Shut up, I don't want to hear that!_"

In a flash, Emmett rushed out of the front seat, and joined me in the back. He swiftly locked the doors again before I could have a go. "Eden, you have to get it in your head, that that's what she saw! It doesn't mean that it will happen! Things change with people's decisions, Eden!"

I felt the salty, hot tears stream out of my eyes and down my face. I must have looked like a wreck. And absolutely hideous wreck. "I don't want to be one of you!" I choked, hugging my knees to myself. I think this surprised him. "I don't want to be lonely and suffer!"

"No, Eden, listen. We would never change you if you didn't want that," He tried to calm me. "We would never do that to you. The problem is, if we wouldn't do it, we need to know who it was in Alice's vision." I looked up at him weakly with red eyes. "If it wasn't one of us, who would it be?"

_Gemma_. The name sounded like nails against a chalkboard in my head. I groaned, grabbing my head tightly. Emmett's strong arm was placed around my shoulders. "You'll protect me, though, right?" I squeaked, burying my head into him. I did this without thinking. He looked down at me in surprise. "Is that why we left the field so fast? Because she was coming?"

"She smelled you," He sighed, patting my back. "I think that's what happened at least. I think she smelled you, and she wants you." His words make me choke, and more tears spill out. "Yes, Eden." His comforting hand stroked my hair. I twitched, knowing it was a friendly gesture, but I didn't want to enjoy it so much.

"Yes, what?"

"We'll protect you."

The words comforted me, and I buried my face further in his chest. He didn't seem to struggle like Jasper. I think he was okay with my scent. I couldn't help to be partially jealous of Bella. She had someone who loved her smell, someone who was a boy, someone who loved her. Sometimes, I just wish I had that. "I trust you," I mumbled to Emmett. I raised my head, sliding away from him, still not looking in the eye. "And, I'm sorry if I hurt you. I can never forgive myself for that."

"You're forgiven," Emmett sighed, brushing off his pants. His eyes avoided me too. "We should get you home, though. Your mom's probably worried."


	20. Ch17 Danny

Chapter Seventeen:

Danny.

There was a rap at my window. I was so exhausted from earlier that day, I didn't even bother to imagine it was real, but when I heard it again, I started to be bothered.

Peeking over my covers, I was afraid of finding some ravaged vampire on the other side. Who knew? Maybe Forks was home to zombies too. Another rap. I looked at the clock, unsurprised to see that it was 2 in the morning. "Eden!" Someone hissed from outside my window.

The voice wasn't Jasper's. It wasn't any of the Cullens. It wasn't a girl's, but I knew who it was. Shoving the covers off, I rushed over to the window, pulling the blinds back. "Danny?" I mouthed behind the glass.

He frowned and pointed to the lock. Infuriated, I opened it. Why was he here? What on earth could he possibly want after being so rude to me? "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I snapped in a hushed tone. "You could get me in so much trouble!"

He gave an apologetic smile, which I tried to ignore. "I thought you liked living the high life. After all, you hang out with the Cullens. There must be some excitement going on with those freaks."

I felt the heat raise to my cheeks. "You," I pointed furiously in his face. "need to watch your tongue about my friends!" I guess I could call them that. Or at least, some of them. "We could both get in huge trouble! Your dad is a cop; you think he doesn't watch out for you?" I leaned forward to see what he was standing on. "Oh my god, you took his ladder, too?"

"My dad doesn't worry about me." He frowned, shivering. "It's freezing, can I come in please?" I shook my head, getting ready to close the window. His hand blocked me from closing it, entwining around my fingers. I froze, my heart beating faster. "Come on," He murmured. "Let me in."

"Oh my god," I mumbled angrily to myself, snatching my hand back. "Just be quiet. And make it fast, I'm not in the mood for this." His face lit up in satisfaction as he climbed through the narrow space. "Shut the window." I demanded.

"Alright," He said, closing it and blocking out the cold. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

I gasped."What do you mean?" My voice stung quietly in the dark room as I angrily dropped onto my bed. "You're the one that came here!" My head began to clamp up, and I sighed heavily. The more spoke, the madder I grew. "You shouldn't have. Oh, and by the way, and you'll never do it again."

He frowned, peeling off his glasses and sitting down next to me. "Marlena said you were going to ask me something…?" We both exchanged looks. She had told him about the dance. Figures. "Did you want to ask me to the dance?"

"Well, you're certainly headstrong," I grumbled, standing back up. "Thinking you know everything."

"Yeah." I finally admitted, and watched him smile. "Yes, I was going to ask you to the dance."

"Why?"

A wounding tenderness shot through my stomach. I looked towards him. He looked distressed, as though he had thought himself pathetic. "What do you mean, '_why_'?"

He gave a small smile, tilting his eyes down to the floor. I watched his fingers sloppily entwine themselves in him lap, a nervous habit. "How could I have possibly grasped the attention of someone like you? I mean… That's why I was so harsh on you. I figured you just wanted me for something. I didn't think you really wanted to be friends."

"Of course I do," I winced, feeling terrible. Without thinking, I sat back down by him, my hand on his shoulder. "Danny, you're wonderful. If I didn't like you, why would I have chased you into the woods that day?"

"You did?" His eyes grew wide, as he hesitantly put his glasses back on. He looked so striking, it hurt. He was no Cullen, but his dark beauty was tormenting still. "No one told me that. Not even Marlena…"

I nodded. "I was worried about you. I know I had just met you, but all in all, you were at least _becoming _my friend, and that was enough." I gave a reassuring smile. He accepted it with one of his own.

"I've been so stupid." He groaned suddenly, dropping his face in his hands.

Shaking my head wildly, I snatched his hand in mine. "No," I mumbled, hoping he would look back up to me. He didn't, but instead just stared down at the ground. I tightened my grip around his hand. "You haven't been stupid at all. I have."

He gave an amazed laugh, now looking up at me, our hands still together. I looked into his eyes. This was someone I could be around… someone who could actually hold me, and care for me… I blinked away the thought of… well, you should know who by now. "If you're stupid, then I wonder what that makes me."

I felt my hands go up towards his hair, and quietly stroke it. He wore a perplexed look. After some time, I knew what I was doing, but I didn't stop. His confusion bunged, and he let me stroke with no bother. I had loved it when Emmett was stroking mine. I was comfortable, and it made me feel safe. Danny was unhappy, and I just wanted him to feel relaxed too. I dropped my hand, smiling widely. "You know, when I was chasing you in the woods, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just felt like I needed to."

"Oh?" He smirked. "You were trying to protect me."

_You were trying to protect me._ I stiffened. _I'll protect you._ His voice rung horribly loud in my head. The words made me feel weak, his voice, and his aura. I didn't want to think about him now. Not now, not at all, but I couldn't help it. "Eden?" I heard Danny faintly in the back of my head. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick."

I felt my eyes shut, my body tumble backwards, and my thoughts go black.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Get up." I heard someone whisper, harshly anxious. "Eden, come on!" Someone's warm hand slapped my cheek, shooting me up, gasping. Danny began to laugh next to me.

My eyes wandered to the clock. It was 3 in the morning. I looked towards Danny, my brow raised. "I fainted." He nodded. "I really fainted?" He nodded once more, chuckling. "Weird. I thought that only happened in movies."

"What happened?" He asked, placing a friendly hand on my back, and laying me back down. "Try not to move too fast. You're still off balance, and we don't want you fainting again." I nodded, rolling my eyes and burrowing further into my blanket.

"I don't know what happened," My lies weren't obvious to Danny. Thank god. "Lightness of head. Maybe it's because I'm so tired."

He sighed, standing up. Frantically, I looked up at him, with pleading eyes. "I should get going then. I don't want to be a bother." His gentle hands… warm hands, grabbed the blanket, tucking me in tighter. "Good night," He whispered, heading back towards the window.

"Don't go," I whispered back. He turned, surprised. "I mean, you can, but… I don't want you too." I tried to give a supportive semi smile. "Do you have to? I guess it's dicey though. Maybe you should go."

He grinned, shaking his head. "Would you make up your mind already?" I blinked dizzily. "Do you want me to stay or not?"

"Yes," I sighed, patting the spot next to me. "Come sit. At least, until I fully fall asleep." He groaned and sulked back over to me, bogusly. I grinned, and sat up straighter.

And then we got talking. We talked, and we talked. Never once did I get tired, and never once did I ask him to leave. We held hands once or twice, playing thumb war or some other game. We laughed. We sat and stared at one another, admiring. We slept; him on the floor, me on the bed. We woke up. We laughed and talked more. We said good bye, and got ready to enjoy our Saturdays, knowing that even though we wouldn't see one another, we would be thinking.

I felt like I was falling in love.

I felt like I was falling in love, and I felt it in 6 hours.

I felt like I was falling in love, and I felt it in 6 hours of talking to Danny Jones.

Even as I lay here, on this cold ground, writing to you, as my pencil runs out, I still love him.

I don't think that will ever change.

Even if everything else did.


	21. Ch 18 Forests and Protection

Chapter Eighteen:

Forests and Protection.

Another family meeting was called. I knew who it was about. What happened in the woods yesterday wasn't forgotten. None of us had any recollection of what would come except for my Alice. We weren't worried, that is, until she told us.

"She's going to get hurt," Alice whimpered, looking towards the ground. She looked small, and weak. My Alice didn't often look like so, unless worried. "I know we're only up against one this time, but I saw her get hurt. Why would she get hurt? What would we be doing that we missed this?"

Carlisle's gentle hand, a comforting one to us all, set on Alice's knee. "Did you see where they were?" His soothing voice rang out. "Did you see anything at all that could help us better understand when it happened?"

"It was dark out," Alice nodded, remembering. I watched her blank, beautiful eyes meet mine. One look, one look was all I needed to calm her. "It was dark, and I couldn't see where they were." My powers were working. She relaxed, leaning back against the chair.

Rosalie scoffed from the side of the room. No one even bothered to look at her. We knew her expression was fierce, and that her words would be. "Maybe this is a sign that we shouldn't save her," her vile tone hissed quietly. "Obviously we're not going to rush out and save her. So, why should we worry about it?"

Now we all shifted our cold gaze to her. She shot us all back a menacing one. "Rosalie," Esme sighed softly. "Eden is our friend. We're going to do whatever it takes to protect her. Alice may not have seen us saving her in her vision, but we might not have known. It's not because we didn't want to."

"For all we know," Rosalie continued. "She could be getting hurt right now." Rosalie twisted her face to the sunshine shooting through the glass. Her face sparkled, her beauty no longer dazzling us. "Even if it is light outside, the woods aren't always."

I sighed heavily, turning away from everyone. "Jasper?" I heard my Alice coo. I frowned and continued to walk up the stairs. Sometimes, I just needed a moment away from everyone. Away from Forks, away from my love, away from my family. I just needed some time to think.

As I entered my bedroom, my first movement was to go to my large window sill. It's my comfort zone, my place to think. My own little seminary.

I thought about what happened yesterday when Carlisle, Edward and I ran into the woods. I thought about it. I thought about her face, and her body, and how she moved, and how threatened I felt, even with my brothers beside me.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Our feet took us as fast as we could go into the forest. Our cars were passing beside me, and before I knew it, everyone was gone, except for Carlisle and Edward beside me. We stopped, breathing heavily. _

"_Edward," Carlisle whispers. "You're faster than me and Jasper. I can smell her scent coming from there," His pale white finger pointed in front of us. "If you could run ahead, and check."_

_With a nod, I watch my brother zoom past us, fast as a bullet. "Alright," Carlisle grunted, taking his stance. "Let's go." He sped off towards the direction of my brother. I follow him, not shaking. If our scents were right, it was only one vampire. It was a vampire, we had never smelled before. _

_As we continue to run, I continue to think. Alice took me aside on the baseball field, to tell me what she had seen. She had seen a stunning vampire, lovelier than ever, attacking Eden. It didn't seem fair… that Eden had gotten attacked in her vision. It meant that it was planned to happen. What if no one stopped it? What if no one knew? _

"_Okay," Carlisle sighed heavily as we stopped behind a tall bush. "Listen." We both grew silent, our ears turned. I waited. I heard nothing but silence. "That's not right," Carlisle murmured, barely audible. "I can smell them. They should be right here." As could I. I nodded, puzzled._

"_Hello Boys." _

_Me and Carlisle instantaneously spun around. Standing up straighter, I was awed by her beauty. Her hair was light, a strawberry blonde, and it hung around her shoulders and down to her waist. Her eyes were as dark as could be, and I felt weak staring into them. I looked away. "Who are you?" Carlisle smirked, inclining his head._

_She stepped closer to us, Edward behind her. She extended a cold hand. I lightly shook it, the freeze of it stinging my hand. "It's good to see you again," she spoke, with a voice like a song. "I know you were looking for me." Her devilish smile displayed her tease. "What concern do I give you, gentlemen?"_

_She had a thick accent. It surprised me when I heard it. I couldn't tell what it was though, until she spoke again. "We're sort of the head of Forks here," Carlisle explained. I knew he meant, the head vampires. "I know you we already met you the other day, but we're a bit curious."_

"_Curious?" Her thin brows raised on her white, marble face. "Curious about what? I was just about to hunt actually. I think you should be more apologetic than curious. My bait got away." I could feel my hands gripping tighter. She better not have been speaking of Eden, and of an animal instead. I hoped Emmett had gotten Eden safely back to her home. _

"_I think you're hunting someone we know," My eyes narrowed. I didn't even recognize my voice. My brother moved beside me, the three of us now forming an alliance. "That is, if you're hunting a human."_

_She nodded, pacing back and forth. Her hands tied behind her back, as her light tank top flapped with the wind, her hair curling in the air. "A mortal is who I seek." She snapped her eyes to mine. "Her scent isn't fully known to me. I've gotten some part of it, however." _

_Carlisle narrowed his brows, keeping a steady pose. "I think you're mistaken. No human has been up in these woods for quite some time." _

_Of course, she didn't buy it. "No," She chuckled lightly. "That's where you're wrong. I could smell her. I did smell her. She's mine now. There's no stopping me." We exchanged glances. Edward seemed frustrated, searching for something to say. Carlisle merely held, tight-lipped. "If I didn't know any better, she was with you."_

"_No," Carlisle sighed. "No, we do not converse with mortals." If I wouldn't have known, I would say he was telling the truth by the tone of his voice. "Trust me. Humans around here are stiff. I wouldn't lock your focus on just one. Take a look around, first."_

"_Well," Gemma sighed, her pink lips pursing. "I think I'd have to disagree." She was about to leave, about to run from us. "I'll find my prey, and I'll kill her. What does a human matter to you? I know she does. I can read it on your faces." She snickered, placing a hand on my shoulder. The cold air seeped through my light jersey. "Especially yours." _

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

There was a rapping at my door. Without looking back, I murmured; "Come in." I heard nothing, and when I turned my head around, my Alice stood beside me. She was frowning as she reached for my hand. I grabbed it lightly, holding it to my chest. "Alice, what is it?"

"I'm worried about you," She whispered, kneeling down to me. "We're all worried about Eden, but I'm also concerned about you." I shut my eyes, turning my face to the open window. The cold air was stinging, but I ignored it. Coldness was my friend. "You seem weak, and not in the feeding way. Do you want to talk about it?"

Grunting, I patted the spot next to me. She sat down, and I held her hands in mine. "I don't think there's much I can say." My voice seemed distant once more, like it wasn't me speaking. "Something… bothers me, and I don't know what it could be besides her."

"Do you love her?"

I jumped, my eyes shooting open. I felt my grip tighten around Alice's hands. Did I love her? What? How could Alice ask such a thing? I stumbled, trying to explain in my shock, but I couldn't find an answer. "I don't mean like you love me. Yet, Jasper, she's so wonderful. You've told me that you find yourself wanting to protect her. You want to keep her safe, so you must love her in some way."

Some way. I must love her in some way. Alice was my companion, now and forever, but what about Eden? I didn't want her to die; to be lost to the ground of humanity. Yet, if she became immortal, how would I go on, looking at her from day to day, and never knowing she was mine? Alice was my savior, my comfort blanket, and my friend all in one, but what _was_ Eden to me? "I don't know," I confessed. "I don't want to lose her." Alice nodded, understanding. "I don't think that makes much sense."

"It makes perfect sense," She smiled lightly, stroking my poor excuse of hair. "The others are going out in a few hours. You look hungry, but knowing you, I don't think you want to eat." I nodded as she assumed correctly. "Then I'll stay with you."

Shaking my head, I began to stand up. "No, it's quite alright, Alice." Her hands entwined with mine as she hauled herself up. "I know you're hungry. I think you should go. I myself, will probably go early tomorrow morning."

"Okay," She sighed, dropping her hands from mine. "Then when we leave, what will you do?" We both exchanged glances. I thought of something, and so did she. We could read one another's expressions. "I think that's a splendid idea." Her beam was comforting. "Now come downstairs. Bella is here."


	22. Ch19 Touch Me, Trust Me

Chapter 19:

Touch Me, Trust Me

"I'm sure it looks fine," I heard Bella's impatient tone call from the hallway. "Jasper, _trust_ me. I'm not going to make you look stupid."

I stared blankly at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a white shirt, and my sleeves were cuffed. There was a pin-striped vest over that, with a navy tie. No formal wear is complete without the pants, right? "My hair looks clean." Blinking, I looked again in the mirror. It was nicely patted down. "What's that called again?"

There was a silence from outside my door. "Hair gel?" Bella lightly chuckled. "It's pretty common Jasper. I would think you'd know about it by now."

Of course I knew about it. I had just forgotten the name. After all, it's not like I used it. I glanced once more at myself before leaving the room. I cleaned up nicely. That's a good quality to have. "Bella," I winced before I opened the door. "Step a little ways away, will you?"

"Yes, of course Jasper." I opened the door to see her across the hall in Edward's bedroom. She grinned widely. I couldn't help to smile either. "I guess that means I look alright."

She sighed, running a hand through her dark hair. "You look great Jasper. Go get her." With an encouraging smile, she turned her back to me, to go look once more at Edward's book shelf. I was happy for him, that he had someone like her in his life.

My quiet feet took my down the stairs and out the door, and as I hopped in my car, I couldn't help to feel like something was going to happen tonight. I just wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I looked at myself in the mirror. Disgusting. Why would a vampire want my blood anyways? It's not like it would taste good. Not when it belongs to a face like mine. After staying up so late with Danny, I had huge bags under my eyes and my hair was just a complete mess. All I did after he left was sleep. It was Sunday now, and I had to go to school tomorrow, something I did not want to do.

There was a ring of the doorbell downstairs. Assuming it was for my mother; I turned up my tunes a bit louder and started to brush out my hair knots. I heard my mother mutter something from downstairs and a second later call up my name.

Who could be here for me? Certainly not Danny. He must be sick of me by now. Of course it couldn't have been Jasper. That's just too insane to even imagine. Confused, I set down my hair brush and rushed down the stairs in my hideous state.

He was standing at the threshold, slowly backing up away from my mother. His hand covered the bottom part of his nose. _Human smell. _I heard his voice say inside my head, even though I was staring right at him. I shook my head, snapping out of it. "J-jasper!" My voice cracked. "What are you… doing here?"

"That's not a very polite way to great your friends," my mother said, grinning towards him, her approval very highly shown. "Especially if they cleaned themselves up to come and see you!" Angrily, I shot her a warning look. "How about you come inside Jasper?"

He began to speak, but I raised a hand to silence him. "Excuse me mom, but me and Jasper actually were going to talk about something that doesn't really involve… you. Okay?" I smiled before she could answer and quickly stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind me.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped in a whisper.

His eyes grew wide, his soft lips formed into a frown. "I came to see you."

My heart and stomach lurched at his words. For a moment, I felt stunned, like I couldn't speak. "You look nice," I replied, not thinking. "No, wait, why did you come to see me?"

"It's not very late you know," He shrugged. "I was thinking maybe you would like take a stroll on the beach, or something along those effortless lines."

A certain part of me was furious, another surprised, and the other immensely happy. "Jasper, you have a soul mate. Why would you be asking other girls to a late night walk?"

"Because," he smirked. "You're my friend. You deserve to be treated highly. After all, you've had a rough day." Something in his eyes mocked me. Like, he was trying to tell me something. "You know. Also, if we could talk about things that involve just the two of us." Vampire chat. Got it.

"Oh right," I nodded strongly. "Just two friends chatting. Let me go change, I look like a mess." Jasper winced, speedily tapping my arm before I went inside. I spun around.

"Just throw on a sweater and make it fast, okay?" He cocked his head to the side. "No one else will be there but us, I can guarantee you that."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The moon is my friend. She's beautiful, and she comforts me and protects me from the darkness. We've always been friends, the moon and I, and walking on the beach with my other friend, her on my left and he on my right; couldn't have felt more soothing.

"I guess watching the style change is the weirdest part," Jasper chuckled as he continued with our previous conversation. He kicked a pebble lying on the sand. "It's so strange to go to High School in a different century and not be used to the clothes the people are wearing. It's hard for me to switch trends so fast."

I nodded as we dropped down into the sand. "I guess that means you're a pretty laid back guy, then?" The sound of the waves in front of us filled in the silence between the answer.

"Yes," he boldly stated, looking at me with a grin. "I suppose you could say that." I looked glumly at the distance between us. There was at least 5 feet. His hands were clenching the sand like a stress ball. It was then when I noticed the wind.

"Oh. I'm sorry Jasper, I'll move somewhere else."

He reached out for me, but didn't touch. "No, it's fine." The half smile on his face was reassuring. "The wind isn't blowing your scent too much. Just your perfume." I often found myself spraying a lot of perfume when I was with him. My irrational fear of getting my blood drained caused me to do so.

"Right," I laughed lightly. Falling back onto the sand, I looked up at the stars above me. "I was wondering, did you find anything in the woods the other day? When Emmett took me home?" I rolled over on my side to look at him. "You haven't said anything yet."

He shot me a worried glance, trying to mask it with a flick of his hair. "No. Nothing was there. Well, just her. Gemma, but she didn't want anything."

"I can tell that you're lying."

He slowly faced me, his expression unreadable. "I know."

Blinking, I tried to figure out what he meant. Obviously he didn't want to tell me what Gemma had said to them. Yet, it was obvious I needed to know. "Jasper, if it involves putting my life in danger, wouldn't it just be best to tell me?" He didn't answer. "Jasper, if you say it fast it will be easier."

"Sometimes I wish I could hold you." He hung his head lower, his voice only a soft murmur sprinkled over the waves. I lay in the sand, shocked at his words.

"Y-you wish… you could hold… Jasper, wait, you're switching the topic."

He snapped his head towards me, lying down. His body was parallel to mine. "No, I don't want to talk about Gemma. I don't want to talk about battles, or death, or anything like that. I want to talk about the phenomenon of a person like me being with someone like you. You're not minding it, and I'm wishing I was human again…"

"Do you wish that a lot?" I whispered, my finger slowly tracing a line over to him. I felt strange, Alice being my friend. But I wanted to hug him so badly, to feel his coldness against my warm skin, if only for a second.

It was as though he could read my thoughts. "Alice doesn't mind," he said, his finger tracing a line towards me. Only a second and the tips of ours would meet. "And no," he said, his finger stopping only a moment before the sensation of a touch.

"No, what?"

"I don't wish that." His green eyes burned into my skin. "Only when I'm with you."

Gasping, I sat up immediately, biting my bottom lip. "Jasper, we can't do this to each other. I know we care for one another, but it will be too hard to let you go." I glanced back at him; he was sitting up now, a tight face on. "If I don't become one of you, I'll miss you, but if I do, I can never be with you. We have to stop thinking about each other in that way."

He nodded, briskly, avoiding eye contact. "Right. No, you're right, I just think that sometimes I don't know if I can." His face displayed a quick smile then it disappeared. Suddenly, he calmed down. He looked straight at me, my stomach and heart feeling weak.

"What?" I groaned. He didn't say anything. Once more I repeated myself; "What? What is it?" In a flash, before I could even comprehend what was going on, he flung himself towards me, a whisk of cold air in the wind, pinning me down, one strong hand on my shoulder. I was about to scream, but my sound was blocked with the forceful grip of another hand clamping over my mouth. He was shaking, his eyes closed, trying as hard as he could to ignore my scent.

_Ignore it. Ignore it, and think of me. It's just a smell. A smell means nothing. A touch does, the words of someone's feelings mean something. A smell is a smell. Jasper, it's just me. Don't take my life because of a smell, a taste. Take a taste, but don't drain me. _"Please," I whispered loudly. "It's just a smell."

He cracked open his eyes, his grip loose. And though it lasted not long, it felt like forever.

He brought his face down, his forehead pressing against mine. His eyes were shut now, his hand cupped on the side of my face. His body was tense, nervous. He didn't want to hurt me, and he knew he wouldn't if he just told himself that he wouldn't. His lips brushed mine, like a feather, hardly even a touch. I gently placed my hand on his chest, bringing it up to his face. I couldn't stop from wanting to hold him like this forever. When my fingers lightly brushed his lips, he kissed me.

It was so smooth, so soft, that I didn't really feel like a kiss at all. It was much more, it was a seal of friendship, love and protection, no matter what life I chose. He broke free of me after a moment, jumped to his feet. His hands were clamped over both sides of his head as he was briskly walking towards the shore. I could see him screaming. He screamed, and he screamed and he screamed, like he was in an unbearable pain, like he was locked in a prison, never to be set free. I couldn't hear him though, because the sound of my heart beating was so much louder than him, the waves and the howling wolves in the distance.


	23. Ch20 The Waltz

Chapter 20:

The Waltz

"I don't know," I could hear my mother's voice in the called Alice to see what was wrong with me. "She's not talking. She doesn't seem sad though. She'll eat, but when she does, she'll just sort of… Stare off into space."

I wish I knew what my vampire friend was comforting my mother with over the phone. Laying on the couch, I pressed two pillows against my ears, blocking out her voice. I wasn't depressed, but I was scared.

There was a vampire out there who wanted my blood. Or, did a few days ago.

Jasper kissed me.

Groaning, I tried to get rid of that thought. I needed to get rid of it. Alice was my friend, and I had kissed him. I had kissed a vampire! I was lucky to even be alive at that point! He went crazy afterwards, and ran off- leaving me at the beach alone! Who would do that?

Sitting up suddenly, I realized. No. I didn't kiss him.

_He _kissed _me._

He kissed me, even though we both knew that it was impossible for us to be together! So, why did he do it? "Why did he kiss me?!" I harshly muttered under my breath. A sudden rush of adrenaline flooded in me, caused me to chuck my blanket away from my body and run towards the telephone. "Alice?"

I cried, as my mother stared at me with disbelief. "You're finally off of that damn couch!"

"Eden?" I heard Alice's soothing voice squeak over the phone. "Oh, Eden you had us all worried! What's the matter with you? Is this about…" Her voice sunk to a whisper. "Gemma?"

Groggily I began to pace across the kitchen. "No, it's not her. Look, it doesn't matter what it is, but… Is anyone at your place? Is there anyone I can talk to?" My mother frowned, embarrassed. "Oh mom," I said, suddenly realizing her discomfort. "It's something that has to do with the Cullens. You know I would always come to you for advice." She nodded gravely and stalked out of the kitchen.

"Eden, the only one done feeding is Emmett. He's at home. If you want to talk to him about…whatever, you're more than welcome to. I'm sure he'd love to see you again."

Without a goodbye, I slammed down the phone, threw on my jacket and sped out the door. Alice probably saw that one coming anyways. "Wait!" I heard my mother shout after me. "You're still in your pajama's Eden!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I looked down at my feet. They were black. The bottom of my pants were black too, the yellow ducks that were once on them faded. I looked upwards at the Cullen house, unsurprised to see it empty of cars. My forehead was sweaty, and I was out of breath from running the whole way. I approached the door. Knocking, no one answered. After a moment or two, I heard that familiar, booming voice. "Come in!"

Speedily, I pulled open the door, ignoring the wonderful treasures inside their house, and made my way up to the kitchen, where Emmett stood. Cooking.

"I knew it'd be you," he said, dropping a slice of butter into a pan. "You look…" At a loss of words, I watch his eyes go from my ball of twisted hair, to my faded duckie pants. "Lovely. As usual." A warm smile was plastered on his face. It was genuine, too.

"Emmett." I said, approaching him behind the counter. "I had no where else I wanted to go. I wanted to talk to a friend. I didn't know if you'd be busy or anything, but I just thought-"

He dropped his spoon and stared deep into my eyes. They were a pretty color today. The color where he displayed his end for feeding. I winced, and forgot about that. "You're always welcome. You know that." His big hand ruffled my hair as he returned to cooking.

"So, I'm assuming Alice called you?"

"She called, yeah."

Something was bothering him. He wanted to say something, but didn't know how. "She also said that you kissed Jasper."

My heart began to beat fast. Jumping up from my chair, I cried; "That is not true! He kissed me!" Angrily, I made my way over to him, snatching the spoon out of his hand. "Great, so the only reason I'm over here is so you can give me a lecture or something?"

His eyes grew wide and he quickly grasped my wrists. I winced, weakly sinking back to my smallish human self beneath him. "Eden, calm down. Calm down, I know he kissed you first. He said so. We're honest. I get it." He raised a hand to stroke my hair. "You're just… extremely jumpy today."

Shaking, I stood still, his hands still grasping my wrists. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I hate it too." Sighing, he let go of my wrists and patted my back gently.

"Emmett," I whispered; pointing to the table. "Why are you cooking?"

He smiled, and chuckled low. "I guess I'm trying to better understand the human ways. Or something stupid like that. Everyone's gone, what else am I to do?"

Shrugging, I went over to the radio. "It seems to me like vampires would always be doing something exciting. Since, you know. You don't really have to sleep." I began to fiddle with the channels, as he laughed once more.

_Fergie, Green Day, Beethoven-_

"Oh, go back." He spoke quickly. "Go back to the Beethoven one." Raising a brow, I flipped the switch backwards. He smiled as the familiar piano tune came on. "You know, this song seems to be over played. It's like…"

"The stereotypical classical piece?"

"Exactly!" He snapped, coming over towards me. "But it's so much more. The Moonlight Sonata is beautiful. I personally consider it my favorite." Nodding, I began to twirl around to the song. "See? It's lovely, haunting." He shrugged. "I dunno. I like it."

I stopped dancing, a smile planted on my face. Emmett stood across me. He bowed lowly, extending his hand. I playfully curtsied, taking his hand in mine.

Presuming the waltz positions- we began to dance across the kitchen. The tune was slow, eerie. His gently face stared down at me with a smile. Warmly, I smiled back. "I'm not surprised Jasper ever did kiss you." He creased his brows together tightly. My stomach churned. _Oh no._ "You're too amazing."

"Emmett!" I gasped, pushing him away from me. "Emmett, don't say things like that, please!" I grabbed my head, not wanting to be even more confused. That was the last thing I wanted. Emmett's strong hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.

"Eden, relax, relax! I won't confuse you! It was just a compliment, silly!" He grinned, tapping my nose. "You're too wound up. You need a good sleep before school tomorrow." I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment. "I should walk you home. It's getting dark. I also have no idea what's taking the others so long."

My phone vibrated in my pocket, startling me even more. Emmett laughed, lightly stoking my hair again. "Relax, Eden. It's just your phone." Shakily, I pulled it from my pocket and pressed it up to my ear.

"H-Hello?"

"Eden?"

"Danny?"

"Eden? It is you. Can you come over? Please?"

The urgent tone in his voice startled me. "Is everything alright Danny? What's wrong?" Emmett looked down at me in confusion. He mouthed; 'What's wrong?' Grunting, I pulled away from him and walked over to a secluded corner. I could hear a voice in the background. _"Just get her over here!"_ They yelled. "Danny, who was that?"

"Uh… No one." There was a pause, then a sudden strain in his voice. "I need you Eden," He gasped, groaning. There was a lot of commotion around him, it was obvious. "Please, just come over. _Please_?"

Without thinking, I shoved the phone back into my pocket. Emmett stood in the kitchen, a worried look on his face. Nodding, he waved me off. In his eyes though, I could see that he would be watching. Just in case anything did happen to me.


	24. Ch21 Silence

Chapter 21:

Silence.

I felt my heart pounding against my chest. My feet were automatically taking me towards Danny's house. Most of the streets were empty, people glancing outside their windows and locking their doors. I was afraid, to be outside all alone, but at least I was running. There was something terribly wrong. I wasn't sure who it concerned, but I was determined to help them. I was very tired of things being terrible. I wanted to run away from Forks, but I knew I couldn't.

There were no cop cars outside of Danny's home. Not even his father's. That means they were somewhere else. There were plenty of people earlier, and they must have disappeared. I prayed that whatever was wrong did not involve the Cullens, or Danny, or Marlena, or my mother, or anyone who meant something to me.

Pounding on the door, I leaned over, gasping for breath. Not once had I stopped for air from the Cullens to Danny's. In less than a second, Danny was at the door, helping me inside. "Sit down," his body trembled as he led me over to the couch. "You're out of breath."

Unable to speak, I collapsed, the comfort of my head on the pillow soothing me. Danny stood above me, looking down. I shut my eyes and continued to gasp for air. What was wrong? What's happening? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't.

Danny bent to his knees. His eyes were wide, dark and beautiful. I glanced at them and once more shut my eyes. His brow was creased and there was a sense of fear on his face. Fear of telling me something that I did not want to hear.

Very gently, I felt his hand slide onto my cheek. I didn't pull away. His eyes closed along with mine. His palm was so genuinely placed. He leaned forehead against mine, not speaking. Weakly, I placed my hand onto his. I wanted to stay like this forever. I didn't want to know the news anymore. "Stay here tonight," He murmured into my ear, his fingers twisting my hair. "Don't leave."

Without thinking, I nodded. I nodded and sighed heavily. Of course I would have to call my mother and let her know, but she'd understand. She wouldn't ask why. She trusted me. I needed someone who could hold me, and tell me everything was okay, even though I didn't know what was wrong. I needed a real person, someone warm; someone who could kiss me and tell me that he cares for me without any problems involved.

"Why did you call me?" I managed to choke out in a whisper. He moaned slightly and pressed his lips against my forehead. He was still holding me in silence. He didn't answer. That was okay, though. "Do you not want me to go to the dance anymore?" I teased.

He pulled his head away from me, a smirk on his handsome face. Gracefully, he shook his head. His eyes were so rich. I raised my hand towards his glasses, pulling them off of his face. His smirk retreated to a small frown. "Can you see me?" I questioned with admiration.

"Of course I can see you," He spoke, his finger lightly tracing my lips. "If I couldn't be able to see you... If that ever happened…" He looked away. Cupping his chin in my hand, I turned his head towards me.

I shut my eyes, sitting upwards until our lips met. His eyes grew wide, at my unexpected motion. I felt his hands shake and press themselves against my back, laying me back down. He moaned, breaking his lips free of me. There were tears dripping down his face. "Danny?" I frowned, not wanting to see him cry. "Danny, what's-" Before I could finish my sentence, he placed his lips evenly on mine.

My arms wrapped around him, pulling him to me. I buried my face into his warm neck, kissing it lightly. He held onto me so tightly, it frightened me. "Eden, please," he choked over his tears. "Forgive me for telling you this." I leaned back, staring into his eyes with a concerned expression. I waited for him to speak. He shut his eyes, shaking his head back and forth.

"Danny, just tell me." I sat upwards on the couch. My heart was beating as fast as it was when I was running. It was ringing in my ears, yelling at me, telling me to calm down. But, how can I control you, my dear friend? My heart? Tell me how to control you someday, and I will. At that moment, I couldn't control it. "Does it have to do… with someone important to me?"

He nodded, unable to stop. His eyes were watering again. I reached out, grasping his hands tightly in mine. "Danny, is this person important to _you_?" He was so choked up, I thought I'd ask. It would certainly narrow it down a lot.

"_You're _important to me!" He shouted, standing up. I sunk back, afraid in the couch. "I hate having to be the one to tell you this shit! My dad thinks I'm a man and I can just sit here and easily explain to you, but I can't! I can't…" He fell to his knees, sobbing and laying his head onto the couch. I was too worried to even begin uttering words. I didn't want to upset him anymore than what he already was. "I can't tell you, I can't watch you cry…" Biting my lip, I laid a comforting hand on his head. He grabbed it, pressing it to his lips, kissing my palm over and over. "Oh, Eden."

Sighing heavily, I crawled off the couch and joined him on the floor. On my knees, I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a tight hug. "Your father knows that you're the only one who can tell me." His fingers gripped my shoulders tightly, his breathing narrowing out. "You're the only one who can comfort me afterwards. Now tell me." My legs began to shake. "Just, be strong, Danny."

"Eden…" He breathed in, pulling away from me. "Eden, I don't know… Where you'll go, because you're not 18 yet… And, I never asked you about your father… or… anything like that, but you know… if it's legal… or…" he coughed into his fist. "Even if it isn't… My father and I… will try as hard as we can… to get you to stay… with us…"

Blinking lazily, I stared at him. He stopped speaking and stared back at me. My ribs suddenly felt tight, my hands sweating. I didn't understand him, or what he was trying to say. The only logical thing that I was getting from him, was that I no longer had a guardian.

My eyes grew wide. Mother. "My mother," I gasped, suddenly realizing. Danny bit his bottom lip, looking at the ground. A pool of tears began to form in the bottom of my eyes. "What happened to my mother, Danny?" I whispered as my stomach began to come up to my throat. "What's happened to her? Is she alright? _Where is she_?"

Tears began to drip down my face in enormous amounts. My weak hands clutched my stomach as I felt more and more sick with every awful thought that came into my head. "I'm so sorry Eden," Danny groaned, burying his face into his hands. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" I wanted to reach out and tell him that it wasn't his fault, but my sobs blocked out everything. I couldn't even talk. My whole body was shaking, and I felt everything in my stomach coming back up.

Quickly, I hopped to my feet and rushed towards the bathroom. I leaned my head over the toilet, the churning feeling in my stomach finally ending after I puked. My hair dripped down in front of my pale face, and I leaned against the wall, pressing my knees to my stomach as I continued to weep. I looked up to see Danny at the threshold of the bathroom with a wet towel in his hand. I didn't want to look at him anymore. Or anyone.

My mother was gone. She was gone, and I didn't even know. For that short amount of time that I was at the Cullens, she died. I don't even remember telling her that I loved her that day. I don't remember hugging her, or kissing her, or thanking her for everything she's done for me. I just left, without a goodbye, or anything. That's her last memory of me. What a wonderful daughter I was.

Danny leaned down and pressed the wet towel to my mouth. I let him do it, and then I watched as he rinsed it off in the sink. Then he wet it again and soaked my hair down. I trembled, the coldness of the water not affecting me at all. I felt him scoop me up in my arms, but I didn't know where he was taking me. I didn't care. I didn't care about much of anything at that moment. My life was empty without her, without my mentor and my friend. The one woman who made me who I was.

He laid me down on a large bed, next to a window. I rolled my head over to look outside. It was raining. The tears had stopped falling down my face, after Danny whipped it off. The rain drops mocked me. They laughed at me. They said; "Eden, how awful. Your mother died on a rainy day. The sun didn't even come out and pay her respects." I shut my eyes and breathed through my mouth. I could never be happy. Where would I go? Danny was right. I didn't have anywhere to go. I was alone, to myself. I'm nothing.

Suddenly I felt a warm arm wrap around my waist. I was lying on my side, and so were they. They pressed their body against mine. They stroked my hair and rubbed my shoulder. I felt their fingers press against my back, and their lips soft against my face. I didn't reach out and touch them. I just wanted them to hold me. They knew that too. And they did.

I fell asleep in Danny's arms. The rain began to feel jealous, and it shouted at me, pounding on the windowpane. Danny grinned and mocked the rain, holding me tighter. Then the rain gave up, and died down, giving us a song to listen to as we both drifted off into sleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The next morning, my eyes felt sore. I was afraid to open them. I remembered what happened the night before. Everything. I didn't feel Danny next to me though, and with fear, I cracked open my eyes. I was where I fell asleep. Danny wasn't there, as I had felt.

Sitting up right, I felt a lump grow in my throat. What if someone took him? I hopped out of bed in a flurry, rushing into the living room as fast as my feet could take me. "Danny?!" I shouted before entering. I looked up, and there he was behind the kitchen counter, pouring milk into a glass. His eyes shimmered with the morning light peeking through the window next to him. He quickly sit down his glass and rushed over to me.

I felt more hot tears return to my eyes as I enclosed myself around him. "I thought that you were gone too," I choked, running my fingers through his black hair. He shook his head, rocking me back and forth in his arms. I leaned away from him, looking into his eyes. He wasn't wearing his glasses again. "Danny. Can you tell me something."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know." He sighed, grabbing my hand. "If I don't know the answer to it, then I'll make something up that you'd want to hear."

A small smile planted on my face. "Thank you." He gave me a comforting smile in return. "What happened to her?" I murmured beneath my breath. "How did she…" I looked away, unable to finish the sentence.

"It was another animal attack. It was strange this time, however. The animal somehow got into the house." There was silence before he spoke again. "Listen to me, Eden. My father, all of the officers, will do _everything _in their power to stop this from happening again." I nodded, looking away from him. I hoped he was right. "You can stay here for the time being." Of course I would. Not because I had no where else to go, but because there was no where else I wanted to go.

Animal attack. What else but a vampire. Wincing, I knew it wasn't a Cullen. No, it wasn't. It was Gemma. It had to have been. I-

No. My head pounded too much to think about that yet.

A sudden thought entered my mind. "Danny," I spoke, creasing my brow. "It's Monday, isn't it?" He nodded, shrugging. "You should be at school. So should I…"

Laughing harshly, he pulled me over to a chair. "That's a ridiculous thing to say. What makes you think that you're in any condition to go to school?" His voice was almost angry with me. "God, Eden. Even if you wanted to go, I wouldn't let you."

Deciding to make a joke of his words, I managed to give a fake laugh. "Do I really look that terrible?" He sighed heavily, a smile spreading across his face. "You're certainly fine however; to go to school. Why aren't you there?"

"Why would I go to school, when I know you're here all by yourself?" I shrugged. It was a dumb question, yes. My eye lids drooped over more. "You're tired. You should go to sleep, Eden." I looked up at him, grabbing his hand. I didn't want to leave him, not now. I shook my head back and forth. He had to have understood what kind of fear I had of leaving him, right?

The front door suddenly opened. I let go of Danny's hand quickly, assuming his father would be less than happy to have that as his welcome, but he snatched it back. "Hello, Eden," His father inclined his head lightly.

"Good morning Officer Jones."

He sighed, running his hands through his sweaty hair. "Danny, did you get our guest some breakfast?" Danny raised his brows, and looked towards me. I shook my head. I wasn't very hungry. "Well, it's good to know that you even asked Danny."

"It's quite alright," I explained. "I'm not very hungry to begin with. Even if I was, I would have asked."

"A straight-forward girl," Officer Jones grinned, setting his jacket down on the table. "That's always a good thing that have, in my opinion." Smiling up at Danny, I noticed that he didn't seem happy. "Eden, did you rest well?"

"I did, thank you sir." There was much that I wanted to ask him about my mother, but I knew that neither of us was in the mood to talk about it quite yet. He was obviously very stressed that he and his men couldn't find the answer the their current situation.

Danny suddenly left the room in a heat of anger. He glanced back at me before he walked outside. "What's his problem?" His father muttered, grabbing himself some cereal. I stood up quickly, and followed Danny outside.

His hands were in his pockets and he was kicking the grass below him. He didn't even look up when I came outside. "Danny, what's wrong with you?" I asked, stepping closer towards him. "A minute ago you were perfectly fine until your father got home."

"I was just thinking," he hissed, looking up at me. "Where _were _you when I called you, anyways? I mean, you weren't at home, obviously." My stomach lurched at this comment. "So where would you be? It was quiet, so I know you weren't anywhere… _public_."

His black hair twisted in the wind. I could hear him breathing heavily, even though I was two feet away from him. "If you really must know," I whispered. "I was at the Cullens." He grinned suddenly, nodding. I creased my brow. "What?" I snapped. "They're my friends, am I not allowed to spend time with them, too?"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I passed by their house earlier that day, and no one was even home! So, how were you even there? Why?" He groaned, running his hands through his hair. His eyes that were so gentle suddenly turned cold. Before I could answer, he began to shout again. "It's not like people in the school don't talk about you and Emmett! It's like, suddenly the Cullens like you, and you act like there's nothing going on?"

"Are you saying that I'm _lying _to you? Like there's something happening between me and _Emmett_?" Surely, nothing but a friendship. That was plainly proven the night before. I couldn't speak about Jasper, however. That, I wasn't so certain about. I knew he didn't love me though.

Danny angrily stormed over to me. "Well, are you? Is there? Why, dammit, Eden? You get my hopes up, but you can't even answer a simple question?"

"You never gave me a moment to answer!" I shouted, shoving him in the chest. "There's nothing going on between us! We're friends, just friends! The only reason I was over there to begin with, was because I needed someone to talk to!"

He froze, a sudden look of pain on his face. "What, you couldn't talk to me? Or Marlena? You couldn't even talk to your own _mother_?" He laughed darkly, furiously pointing a finger to me, mocking me. "What a great farewell you sent her!"

"_Shut up!" _I screamed, shoving his backwards again. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! You don't even _know _what happened on Saturday! If you did, you would know that I couldn't talk to anyone but a Cullen!" Danny's lips were tightly pulled into a straight line as I continued to hit him in rage. "You think you know everything, but you're just… you're just a _stupid _boy! Jasper _kissed _me, god dammit! I didn't know what it meant, so I went to ask what was going on! I don't understand _anything _anymore! And I didn't want to tell _you, _because I wanted you to be the person that I could run to, to escape everything that I hated about the world!"

He stood, shocked. Screaming with rage, I stepped away from him, too confused and heartbroken to find the words. "Y… you kissed…" His eyes grew wide. "You kissed Jasper?"

Technically, he kissed me. Technically, I kissed him back. "Yeah," I choked. "Yeah, I did. I don't know how it happened, or why, but it happened." Danny's eyes suddenly were filled with sorrow. He frowned, a true sadness on his face. "I don't love him. If that's what you're thinking." All he did was look away. I knew I would just make things worse by reaching out to him. "Well. I guess now I have no where at all to stay." Danny stood, silent. I got the point. "I'll leave as soon as I can," I mumbled heading back towards the door.

"Stop it," Danny said. I paused in my tracks, suddenly annoyed. "Stop it, Eden." I heard his footsteps come up behind me. "Don't go anywhere, okay? Just go back inside and sleep." Turning around, I noticed how sad he looked. He felt bad, about yelling at me.

"It's okay." I nodded, patting his shoulder. "I forgive you." Sighing, he avoided all eye contact with me, and nodded. "Danny?" He looked up at me. At that moment, I had too many things I wanted to tell him. I'm sure you can imagine my gratitude and compassion that I had for him. Sometimes, however, simplest is best. "Thank you."


	25. Ch22 False Protection

Chapter 23:

Stop it.

I felt the rain wrap itself around my fingers. It wasn't mocking me today. It felt sorry for me, as I looked down at my mother's coffin. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My mother, so beautiful, artistic, and full of life, was being buried so young. I was nothing without her. The sun didn't even want to see this sight. The roses wrapped around her coffin hung down, lifeless. Her gravestone was grey. I wanted it to be purple. I wanted it to be purple with paint splatters of yellow and pink and blue. And I wanted the flowers to be yellow and white. If she was going to go, if she had to go, I want her to go with a bang. I felt a hand on my shoulder, overpowering the rain. "I can't stand this," I whispered to Danny.

I heard him sigh behind me. Genuinely sigh though, like he actually understood. "I know," he soothed, taking his hand off from my shoulder. "She was great, you know. She loved you too. She would have wanted for you to move on." I nodded, understanding what he was telling me. "It's hard to lose a mom," he whispered, looking away. "I understand that." A sudden stab of regret flooded through me. I hadn't even thought about that.

Facing him, I held his face lightly in my hands. "You know that I'm here for you, right?" He nodded, a half smile stressfully planted on his face. I felt that lump in my throat again. I was being so selfish. I didn't even think, or ask about his mother. "I feel so selfish," I choked, tears spilling down my face. "Danny, I'm so sorry." I wrapped my arms about him tightly, burying my face into his shoulder.

He pushed me back. His face was expressionless. "Eden, I don't know what makes you think that you're selfish. Because you didn't ask about my mother?" I nodded, looking towards the ground. "Eden, I don't want you to ever think like that again. It's not something that should slip your mind. I never asked you about your father, did I?" That was very true. I shook my head. "All I think about is you," he sighed. "I feel so bad about yelling at you the other day. I was so stupid… Even you said so. I just… I just want you to know that I'm-"

"Stop." I pressed my finger against his mouth. As I took it off, I replaced it with my lips. I felt myself melt beneath him, my fingers curling around his glasses. All I thought about was him. Without my mother, he was my new backbone. I broke free from him, breathless. "Give me some time alone with her." He shut his eyes, nodding. "Just wait for me at the car," I murmured, stepping back. "I'll be there in a minute."

He nodded, shoving his fists in his pockets. "I'll be at the car." He turned on his heels and headed towards the parking lot, where other cars were pulling away from the cemetery. I was left, alone, in the rain. Although, not completely alone. Of course my mother was there. I looked down once more at her coffin.

Gemma. That name… That name was so stomach-churning, head pounding, heart breaking, palm sweating, ear ringing, eye watering, and knee shaking at the same time. I wanted to twist her head around; hearing the crack would be like music to my ears. I wanted to kick her and hurt her, just like she had my mother. When I looked at her in the Funeral Home earlier today, she looked pretty, but the scratches all over her face and the mark on her neck were easily visible. She bit my mother, and I wanted her to die more than I wanted anything else.

"Eden?" A soft voice said to me. I shut my eyes. It was the voice of my angel. I had heard the voice in my dreams. I moaned, waiting for them to talk again. "Eden, come here." I cracked open my eyes and looked around. No one was there. "To your left." Twisting my head around, I saw him in the trees.

"Jasper," I gasped. My heart beat against my chest and I felt my head go dizzy. I leaned on the gravestone for support. Maybe she was still my backbone. His face was tight, as his eyes glazed over my mother's coffin. He looked back up at me, signaling for me to come to him. I shook my head. "No!" I snapped under my breath. "You've given my enough confusion to last a year, Jasper Hale! Leave me alone, alright?"

His eyes grew wide and he started heading towards me. "Eden, it's important, I need to talk to you." He stopped a few feet away from me. "I need to speak with you about a lot of very important things." The proper manner of his voice suddenly annoyed me, and I turned my back on him. "Do not make me grab you shoulder," his voice hissed lowly, unlike him. "because you know that I cannot touch you without going mad."

I turned on my heels, my face hot with anger. "Oh yeah?" I shouted, stepping in front of him. "Go ahead Jasper! Touch me!" His breathing was heavy and quick. He was nervous about how close I was to him. "You did it once before, so I don't see why you can't do it again?" I could tell that I was upsetting him, tempting him and making him angry all at once. An idea flashed across his face. He looked right into my eyes. "What are you doing?" I frowned, raising a brow. Suddenly a sense of calmness flooded over me.

"Now," he commanded quietly. "Follow me."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"She's a threat, obviously," he sighed, cupping his chin in his hand. We were sitting in the woods, like we had the first time I heard him tell me what he was. He was feet away from me, like always. "I just didn't realize how big of one she was. You'll have to be watched. You'll have to stay with us until we hunt her down and…" He looked over at me. I nodded. "Right."

I felt weak, and unsure. "Why does she want my blood? Just because I smell good?" Frowning, he nodded. "Wow, you vampires sure are consistent." He chuckled lowly, running his fingers through his hair.

"Just don't bleed around me, alright? I know for a fact that I couldn't be able to control myself."

"I'll try my best." He looked over at me with a worried expression. "Truly." He sighed heavily, clasping the sides of his head in his hands. I stared at him. He was beautiful. My mind shifted back to Danny. I smiled, thinking of him. "Jasper?" He lifted his head and looked at me. I felt awful when I smiled at Jasper too. "I want to ask you about something."

Standing up, he began to climb a tree. I watched, amused. He landed himself on a branch close to the ground. "Yes?" He said, picking off leaves.

"Why did you do it?" He knew what I was talking about. He knew it was coming before he even decided to meet me at the cemetery. He'd been thinking about it since it happened. I wasn't just assuming that either, I knew it. I could tell. "Why did you kiss me?" My voice sounded more harsh than what I had wanted, but I needed him to answer, and he was just staring off into space.

He coughed into his fist then stared ahead of him as he began to speak. "Yes, I know what I did. I just want you to know," he said, his voice a soft sound against light winds. "that I didn't mean to offend you at all." I stood up, about to reject, but he raised a hand. "I kissed you because I wanted to." My heart began to beat harder against my ribs. I sat back down, feeling a bit woozy. He wanted to kiss me? Since when was Jasper forward? "I kissed you, because you looked…"

He stopped and continued to stare ahead of him. "I looked…" I quietly urged. He smiled shyly and looked down at his hands. "I looked kissable?" He began to laugh to himself as I continued on, clueless. "I looked like I needed a friend?"

"You looked beautiful," he sighed. "You are. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. I wanted you to know that I thought you were beautiful." I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of everything he said. His face was simply twisted into a nervous frown. "Alice is my soul mate," he declared proudly. "Yet, there's something about you that I admire. It will never leave me. I've tried to not think about it, but then I see your face, quiet and confused and I just… I don't know what to think."

I stood up quietly. He looked down at me nervously, expecting I would leave. I waited at the bottom of the tree trunk, for him to come down. He shook, afraid and scooted further back on the branch away from me. "You don't have to come down." I laughed. "I just want you to know, that…" I hated myself for saying this. I hated myself because of what I felt for Danny, but when I was with Jasper, I couldn't lie to myself. "I just want you to know that when you kissed me, I kissed you back." His face calmed. He looked surprised, as if he hadn't noticed when it happened. "I wanted you to do it," I murmured, hitting my head against the tree trunk. "I wanted it so badly, event though there was Alice and Danny, and everyone else in the world." I felt tears sting the bottom of my eyes, so I shut them, hoping he wouldn't see. "I'm sorry Jasper. I'm so sorry. I bet this isn't making anything easier for you, is it?"

He was silent. He was silent for a very long time. I got nervous, thinking he left, bored and unable to be amused. Cracking open my eyes, he was standing next to me. His fists were clenched, his eye lids hiding his hazel eyes. He was shaking a little, nervous again as he got closer to me. "Jasper?" I asked, worryingly. I wanted to reach out my hand to him, calm him down like he did to me, but I stayed back. "It's alright," I sighed, very quickly patting his shoulder. "I'll move away."

"Don't," he gasped, opening his eyes. "Don't move. I have to learn how to be myself around you. I have to ignore your smell." I raised a brow curiously. "I'm getting really good at it. Just let me practice a little bit more." I nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. He sighed, relieved with himself. A sudden look of realization crossed his face. "I almost forgot why I came here. Eden, your mother…"

His brows creased above his eyes. I felt a pain in my stomach, a stabbing pain, like a knife. Then it retreated up to my heart. I felt sick, and I leaned over against the tree. It turns out I really was sick. "Oh," Jasper gasped, his eyes growing wide. Instinctively, he grabbed bother of my shoulders, leading me over to a tree trunk to sit down upon. I groaned, clutching my stomach. It wasn't fun puking two days in a row. He ripped off his sweater and began to dab my mouth with it. I looked up at him, surprised. It was like Danny. The two of them, going out of their way to help me, especially Jasper, someone who could barely stand next to me, let alone touch my mouth. "Are you alright? I'm sorry. I suppose I should have been more sensitive on that topic."

I shook my head back and forth, closing my eyes. I reached out, snatching his hand. He groaned, pulling it away from me. "Just let me," I choked, tears now falling down my face. "I need comfort. She was everything I was," I sobbed. "Everything I learned I learned from her! I don't even know who my father was! My mom was so beautiful," Jasper's hand touched my head, but I ignored it. "She was so beautiful and wonderful and full of life! What will I do? Where will I go?" His hair began to slid down my hair, over and over again. I could feel his hand shaking as he did so.

"You will stay with Danny," he murmured. "You will stay with him, because he can take care of you. He will be at home when you're at home, and he can cook you food. He can comfort you." Everything he was saying were things he couldn't do. He released his hand from my head. "He will be there for you." His voice was barely audible as he stepped away from me. I shook my head, noticing the sadness in his eyes. I wanted him to be there too. "I will protect you."

Protecting me was something I knew he could do. He said it so certain though, like I needed protection from something. "Gemma killed her then?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. He solemnly nodded. "Then I will kill her." He snapped his head upwards, meeting my eyes. "Don't try to stop me. You will tell me where she is, and you will teach me how to kill her! I don't care if I have to become a vampire to stop her! You will bite me, if it need be so!"

He growled angrily beneath his breath. "I will _not _do such a thing. You will not touch Gemma. You will not get _near _Gemma. My family and I will certainly assure you of that." I hung my head gravely. Gemma would be looking for me. I knew that. Jasper and his family would protect me, like he said. I would stay back, and cower behind them.

No, I wouldn't. I nodded to Jasper, as though I was going to follow what he was telling me what to do. Of course, I would just wait for Gemma to find me, and kill her myself. A stake through the heart ought to do it, right? "Thank you Jasper," I quietly pretended to care. "I'll just let you do the job." There was an edge of bitterness to my tone, hopefully disguising my determination.

"Thank you." He sighed, looking over at me. "Edward and Alice will stay close by Danny's house. Esme and Rosalie over at Marlena's, and Emmett and Carlisle and I will be by your house." Wow. They had the whole thing planned ahead of time. That was comforting.

I looked at him, giving him a stressed smile. If they had a plan, so would I. I would wait, in the woods behind my house for Gemma. Then I would show her that humans could fight too. I would try to kill her, and not just for my mother, but for Danny and The Cullens, and Marlena, and anyone else she intended to kill to get to me. If I would die in their name, that's fine with me.


	26. Ch23 Again, For False Impressions

Chapter 24:

Again, for false affection.

"I thought you were staying here tonight?" Danny grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. He was sitting on the couch in his living room, staring up at me as I pulled on my coat. "I talked to Edward about it. He was at the funeral, apparently. Funny, I hadn't noticed him until I was in the parking lot."

I snickered to myself. That's what he gets for being so fast. "I know, but I just feel like staying at my house, you know?" I heard Danny mumble something beneath his breath. Kissing the top of his head lightly, I buttoned up my jacket. "I miss the smell of her."

"But, are you sure you'll be okay?" He blinked, adjusting his glasses. My heart began to do flip-flops at his cuteness. "I mean, my dad can send cops over there, if he needs to-"

"Danny, she died by an animal attack," I lied willingly. "It's not likely the same animal will attack the same place, right?" He shrugged, nodding. "You know I love it when you freak out about things?"

He grinned, rising to his feet. "Freak out? I'm genuinely worried. I would think that's what you would want in a boyfriend." My eyes grew wide at the word. Boyfriend. I hadn't had one of those in… forever. Strangely, it felt comforting.

I kissed his cheek, and headed towards the door. "Yes, that is what I want in a boyfriend." He smiled when I said the word too. "But the boyfriend needs to know when the girl is dead serious about doing something, and whether or not to interfere."

His face suddenly fell to a frown. "Just tell me you're not going to see Jasper."

My eyes grew wide._ Oh, great. Ever since I mentioned that kiss, he's been stressing about_ _me and Jasper having a thing. He goes to Forks, he should know that him and Alice are inseparable. _I blankly stared into his eyes, confused, and somewhat at a loss of words. How could he think that? Sure, Jasper was… a confusing topic, but he should know… "I think I love you."

He froze, his brows scrunched together in puzzlement. "W-what?" He took of his glasses and began to rub his eyes. Then he scratched his ears. His voice grew to a whisper. "What did you just say?"

I felt my hands begin to sweat. How could I tell him that I loved him so soon? We had spent a lot of close time together though, so was it really that weird? I couldn't love him after only being here for a few months, could I? But, I did. "I said I loved you."

"You love me."

"I love you."

"You said you _thought_ you loved me."

"I know I love you."

"Why?"

"Because," I sighed, a bit embarrassed. (Need I remind you, he hadn't said any terms of affection in return? Watch out for that, ladies.) "You comfort me when no one else is, or even when I don't really need it. You're always there to hold my hand, and to wrap your arms around me. You don't talk when I don't want you to talk, and even when you do, I instantly forgive you. You're over protective, which isn't a bad thing all the time." He glanced away, his cheeks red. "You're beautiful, with or without your glasses." I smiled at that. "Yet, I don't think I could care if you weren't beautiful at all, because you're you. And call me crazy, but I don't think every normal guy would sneak into my room just to ask me to the dance."

He half-smiled at this. "I actually came so _you_ could ask _me._"

"None the less, you ended up staying the whole night with me. At that point, I just knew you were some cute, exciting boy who was friends with Marlena." His face suddenly became serious.

"And look at us now." I nodded. I was waiting for him to say something else. I just confused my love for him, or what I was pretty certain felt like love, and all he could respond with was; 'And look at us now' ? I felt my face get hot with embarrassment. I probably looked and sounded like a fool. "Do you like Elvis?"

My jaw felt tight. Did he just ask if I liked _Elvis_? I felt like smacking him and walking out. I really felt like my hand was going to fly out and whack him across the cheek. It probably would have if he wouldn't have headed over to a record player in the living room. "What do you mean, 'Do you like Elvis'?" I spat at him, now angry.

He could sense the edge of bitter in my voice, but he simply responded with a smile. "Not only is he The King, but he's also The Romantic. I mean, if you listen to him, practically every song he sings about is love." He placed the needle on one of the records. I recognized the tune instantly.

_Hold me close… Hold me tight, make me thrill with delight. _

_Let me know where I stand from the start._

_I want you, I need you, I love you, with all my heart. _

I felt like a huge weight was being lifted off of my shoulders. A confession through Elvis. That would certainly cause an interesting grandmother to grandchild story. Danny clicked the record off. "Sorry," he shrugged, winking. "I just felt like listening to 31 seconds of Elvis for not real reason at all."

A huge smile spread across my face, and once again, with Danny, I couldn't have felt happier.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

By the time I left Danny's house it was dark. I checked my wrist watch, and noted that the time was 11:45. I couldn't see any Cullens by my house, and thankfully I couldn't see any when I left Danny's. _I hope they didn't notice me leaving._ The Cullens sure were sneaky. I couldn't quite decide if that was good, or bad.

As I snuck into the woods by my house, my heart began to beat faster and faster. Was I making the right decision? I had just told someone I loved them, and I meant it too. He had said the same to me. So, if I were to get hurt, or killed- what would happen to him? Jasper, too. I felt love for him, even though I know I shouldn't. He would blame himself. Yet, it was a risk I was willing to take. At least I got to show them that I cared for them, in case anything did happen.

The woods were pretty creepy so late at night. I figured the Cullens were inside my house, or at least, in the cellar. They couldn't be seen making a scene outside. There were other houses around. _Which means Gemma must have attacked really late at night. When none of the neighbors were up._ I growled at the name in my head.

I slumped down by a tree, and decided to wait. If I didn't see Gemma, then I would at least hear her. I had thought about bringing a gun, but I knew that would end up being a bad idea. People would hear it, and, it probably wouldn't kill her. I had a knife, my fists, and my mind to work with. It turned out that wasn't enough.

"Well, well, well." I heard a whisper ring throughout my head. I looked around, but I saw no one. "Looks like Eden's all alone. You don't think she was waiting for us, _do_ you?" I continued to look around. There was no one, but I knew it was Gemma's voice. I began to break out into a sweat. Who was she talking to?

Instantly I heard a low laugh. I looked over to my left, and there she stood. Her blonde hair was twirling around her pale, Romanesque face. Her body was so thin, but her eyes were blood red. She was beautiful, a temptress. Her dress had flowers on it, only ending at her knees. She seemed innocent, but, of course I knew the real story.

She wasn't alone though. A man was with her. He was of Indian nature, his hair long and black, pulled back in a pony tail. He was handsome too. He wasn't even wearing a shirt, and his perfectly carved muscles showed his strength. Now, I was starting to think me coming here was a bad idea.

"You know it's funny," Gemma laughed, walking closer towards me. "that I had to kill your mother to get you to come here. You're just a little girl. Why couldn't I have just caught you myself?" She tapped her chin as if pondering the situation. "Oh yeah. Those little Cullen friends of yours. Them and their golden eyes. Foolish. Do they really think they can live off of animals forever?"

I stood up, looking back between the two of them. "They're good people, alright?"

"People?" She cackled, looking amusingly at her partner. "So, you think they're people? No, honey. They don't even need to breathe. They just do it out of habit. You call that people? I don't think so. You're a person." She grinned, flashing her white teeth. "Easy to get rid of."

I acted as though I wasn't intimidated. "You know what I don't get? I don't get why you decided to kill my mother, when it was so simple for you just come and get me yourself. I mean, really. I'm alone a lot of the time." Gemma's face twisted into a frown. "Were you trying to look cool, or something?" I mocked. "In all honestly you just looked pretty stupid."

Her large Indian friend clenched his fists, a growl erupting in his throat. I jumped back in surprise. _What kind of vampire growls?_ "You think I'm stupid?" Gemma flicked her hair back. "Take a look in the mirror, darling. You can't even tell a werewolf from a vampire."

My stomach churned. I felt like I was going to hurl again. Disgustingly, I swallowed it back down. "There are… werewolves in Forks, too?" Gemma just smirked. "What else is there? Elves? Zombies? Lepers?"

She raised a finger to silence me. "You really are wasting my time, you know. I don't even know why I'm talking to you. Vampires and werewolves are enemies. They've always been enemies. It's common knowledge. Most likely where there are vampires, there's werewolves. They fight over each other's turf."

"I know," I shrugged. "I saw the Underworld series. Except, Markus and William were brothers. It was all kind of by accident I guess. Then they both got locked up, and…" A look of confusion was plastered on her face. "Eh, never mind," I murmured. "Continue."

"So, you know your legends, huh?" She seemed interested. I nodded. Dracula _was _one of my favorite books. She leaned over to the werewolf and whispered something in his ear. I heard myself silently praying; _Please don't turn into a big fluffy dog, please don't turn into a big fluffy dog… _"What else do you know?"

I scratched my chin, recalling. Hopefully this was a ticket to freedom. Now that I was in the situation, I probably should have stayed with Danny, and let the Cullens rip her head off. "Well, of course I know Dracula…" She nodded, urging me to continue. "Then there's that southern vampire show True Blood, and of course that one book series that's always being judged with Harry Potter." I stopped myself, trying to remember the name. "I forget what that one's called though."

"Shush!" She spat, stopping me. "You really do know a lot about legends, right?" Once more, I nodded. This game was getting old. "Well then. You might just be the thing I'm looking for." My eyes grew wide. I thought she was going to eat me? "Looks like you'll need to be safe if I'm going to find a use of you." The werewolf looked over at her with a smile.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, distracting her. She raised her thin brow, slowly nodding. "If vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies, then why are you two together?" Her eyes flashed even more red.

"Enough questions!" She hissed. In a flash, I felt someone on top of me, and a seeping pain through my neck.


	27. Ch24 Rag Doll

Chapter 25:

Rag Doll (An Ending).

Do you know what it's like, to have a part of your body ripped open? To have someone rip you open, and let your blood spill out, as if they don't have a care in the world. It's as though they enjoy watching you in pain. They laugh and they even poke at you, as if you're just a rag doll. You're just a rag doll, and all of your precious stuffing is falling out. Falling, and falling… and falling…

And then it's like they're sewing you back up because you're their favorite doll. They were just having a little bit of fun. Of course they can't let you go. So you're there, and you're bleeding, and you're crying, and you feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest. But they want to keep playing with you, so they just casually stitch you up; while you're still awake, and you can't even begin to describe the pain, because you can't even think.

And the entire time, they're looming over you. Their sweet, beautiful smile seems harmless to everyone else, but not to you. You know who they really are. You know _what _they really are. They're sick, and they're evil. There is no other word for them. They know what _you _are though. You're not as powerful as them. They're bigger than you, and they can throw you and sling you around if they want to.

More pain comes along. Only this time, it's different. What did they just do to you? Did they just throw you into a fire? It suddenly feels like your whole body is sweating, heating up, like your stuffing and your yarn hair is just burning, and you feel like crying, but you're too busy rubbing the sweat out of your eyes. The sweat keeps dripping down your face, until you're just covered in it. You don't think you can take much more.

You're strong, though. You can pull through it. Because, you know that there are other boys and girls who would love to play with you. Why? Because you're wonderful. You're a colorful, lively little toy, and if one owner doesn't care for you, what are the odds that another one won't? Very low, and the pain you go through in life, makes you stronger, and it makes you wiser. It's a good motive to live by. You only live life on Earth once, so accept the pain, and accept what it brings you to, because there is nothing you can do about it.

So you have to bear through it. You have to stick it out, and accept what you are now becoming. You're almost dead, you're deformed; or at least, you assume you are. Life has hardships, and you lose family, and you lose friends, but know this. You are not alone. And you are not dead, no matter what they tell you.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I felt at that moment, when Gemma pounced on me- when I was knocked to the ground, and dug into; I felt like I was going to die. I felt her strong teeth dig ruthlessly into my neck, and I wanted nothing more than for her to just let me go, to just let me _be_.

Tears were rolling down my face and, like a doll, I felt like I was being ripped open. And then I felt the venom flow through me, and I was afraid. I was afraid of what I was becoming. Dead. I shut my eyes, not wanting to think about it. I didn't want to be afraid, because it only supported the theory of humans being weak. What was it about supernatural beings, like vampires or werewolves, that made then practically unafraid of anything? Why couldn't they be afraid like I was at that moment? Or, were they still afraid of life, even after they were turned?

I had never really gotten to know who Jasper Hale _really_ was. If I die now, I never will. I never got to learn his story, of how he became a vampire. I never learned about his favorite food, or his favorite band. I only knew little things about him. The things I knew were very settle, and things that I had picked up by myself without him telling me. He was a vampire, but he was beautiful. He seemed nervous a lot, but there were moments where he looked comfortable. I knew; I could feel and understand how hard it was to be immortal, but he had Alice. And he had his family. Without them, I wonder where he would be.

Emmett too was someone I was glad to have in my life, if even for a little while. He was funny, energetic… He made me feel at ease with who I was. My heart twisted, imagining him becoming a vampire. I couldn't picture it, you know? How could someone like him have to go through all the pain? He was big, but he had a big heart. Someone that sweet shouldn't have to be put through that. Yet he had, and I was thankful. For without him, I don't think I would have gotten to know the Cullens. And, although Rosalie and I never got on the right track with each other, I was glad Emmett had someone who understood him.

And there's Alice; sweet Alice. She's a friend to everyone who's different. Of course, I'm not exactly the most popular kid in school, but she made me feel like I was only an inch away from being whoever I wanted to be. I only wish I could be as great. And once more, my heart churned, imagining such a great person to have to go through the pain. She and Jasper belonged together, happily, and if the pain brought the two of them together, I'm glad of it.

Carlisle and Esme were young, gorgeous, and friendly. They genuinely cared about human life. So, what had happened to make them become vampire? It was forming on my mind, that I didn't really know anything about the Cullens. I felt bad that I had barged into their lives, without even really getting to know them. I mean, they were out, protecting me, and I disobeyed them. I lied to people who really seemed to like me, even though they didn't really know me. The thought of me being so selfish… Well, it makes me sick.

My mind once more shifted back to Jasper. The awkwardness between us most of the time, probably prevented me from every figuring out how he came to be. But, if I were to die now, like this, with Gemma on top of me, then let it be so. Because, I know that he was happy, and that it would be easy to forget me. I was just a road bump in the Cullens lives. I knew that. Things would be easier without me.

In my head, I pictured Danny's laughing face. The way he would hold me… The brush of his soft lips against my cheek, my hair, my body… Whenever we kissed, it was like a puzzle fitting itself together. I missed the day when we were on the bed, and it was raining, I was crying, and his arms were wrapped around me, clinging, and protecting. Or the day when we just talked, about nothing and everything. I wasn't uncomfortable; I felt safe. I missed his soft black hair, and the way his thick glasses would slip down his nose, and how he would laugh- the sweet, melodic laugh- and push them back up. I don't want anyone else but him. Maybe it was forward for me to say something, but I really, truly, don't. What would he do? What would he do if I were to die now? I would want him to move on, but keep me in his memories. How stupid… how stupid of me to just leave him, so I could meet my killer! _Danny, forgive me._

I wanted to think about Marlena, but I suddenly felt Gemma press her thin wrist against my mouth, then liquid fall onto my teeth. I cringed, swallowing, because the taste of it was stinging my lips. After that, I let my mind doze off for what seemed to be a little while.

.+.+.+.+.+.+.

And then I woke up. I woke up. I woke up from what I thought would be an endless sleep. Was I in heaven? Had I been reincarnated into something else? I looked down at my hands. They seemed normal, but paler than normal. What had_ happened_ to me? I rubbed my hands lightly against my sore neck. I felt two marks. Wincing, I stood up, and I looked at my surroundings.

It was small, enclosed. It didn't look man made- the rocks seemed to naturally fit together. I was in some sort of cave, some sort of den. I looked up above to see a gate on the ceiling, and I opened my mouth to shout for help, but I couldn't. I felt weak, alone, and scared.

And I felt thirsty.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

No one is here. No one is above me, or down here with me. I don't know what I am, or where I am, or what I will become. All I know is that I am perpetually thirsty. Occasionally, a dark figure will drop a dead animal down through the gate, and I will tear it up, not even caring about the disgusting nature of the way I eat it. It's strange… I keep telling myself to want a salad, or a pizza, but my body doesn't want it. My body wants more blood, more dead animals. And every time I think of it, I want to puke, but nothing happens.

I'm assuming this story I have written will be lost. Someone will probably find it, and tear it up. It's a coincidence, because my mother always told me, that keeping a small notepad and a pencil handy will benefit you in the future. Now that I am here, stuck in this cold and musty cave, with bits of food dropped down here and there, I have written a short story about how I have come this way. Like the beginning of my tale says- It's cold, I'm lonely, and I feel incredibly lost. My body feels weak… but I feel _strong _somehow.

It's as if, in my mind, I feel like I can achieve things that a simple man cannot do. I have a though to pound on the metal gate above me, and release myself. I think I will die down here, if I don't even try a way to escape. There must be some way. There _must_ be some way.

My fingers are shaking as I write this. I don't know if I'm dead or not, because I can't see the sun, but I think, over the period of writing my part of the story, that I know what I am. I know what I have become.

Let's just say, Rosalie won't have to worry about me being hit by another car.


	28. IMPORTANT: All Bitter Sweet Fans READ!

Woot woot! Wow, that's crazy isn't it? The ending to Bitter Sweet? It sure took long enough, haha! In and out of drama club stuff and tests- but we did it! And yes, WE did it, because I couldn't have finished or started anything without you amazing fans. You've stuck with me through the long and boring weeks of no new posts, and of course, the lame posts; because you knew I'd get the someday. So, that's why I'm dedicating my first finished FanFic to you amazing people.

BUT! We have some buisness to get to…

BITTER SWEET SEQUEL!!!!!

*audience screams and claps and throws their popcorn and top hats everywhere in excitement*

Now, here's the deal. I will ONLY write the sequel, if I get at least 4 reviews at the end of this. I know, it might suck, but I don't feel like writing a bunch of words without knowing that people will read it. And, if I DO end up writing the sequel, it might be a while, because I've got other stories to work on. But, please, stay with me, if you like the story.

The sequel will be…

THRILLING!

SHOCKING!

SEXY!!!!!!!!!! *fan girls go wild*

ROMANTIC!

DANGEROUS!

FILLED WITH LIES!

Yeah, okay, you get it.

But, I want you to write a review about this chapter (or whatever it's called), because I want you to think about these questions, and answer as many or as none as you like..

Was there anything I mentioned in the story, that I never brought up again?

Do you enjoy the Danny/Eden relationship?

Would you like to see werewolves brought into the story?

What was your favorite part?

What was your least favorite part?

Is there anything I can improve on as an author? (Characters, writing style, etc…)

Were the entries too short, too long, just right?

Would you like to see the story be taken to a different country? If so, what countries?

Do you have anything you would like to see happen in the sequel?

And of course, anything else you want to ask or comment on will be greatest responded to! I'll send you all a personal message to your FanFic inbox, but if you'd like me to answer in a different form, just write in the review where you would like me to answer.

Thank you all!

Infinite X's and O's,

Allie~~~


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